This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with former professional runner Alexa Efraimson. A high school phenom and one of the best junior runners in US history, Alexa signed a professional contract with Nike aged 17, and ran professionally for 8 years. Alexa shares the highs and lows that came with such early success, including challenges with confidence and comparison as an elite athlete. We discuss how athletics can be a vehicle for personal growth, and how that intersected her recent athletic retirement and future career in nutrition. Throughout her running career, weight and food became a constant and unhealthy obsession as Alexa fought to maintain her “fast” high school self. We hear how a lack of nutrition education and support hurt her mental health, as well as her food and body relationships. Alexa and I discuss the need for sports nutrition resources for all athletes, including working with sport-specific Registered Dietitians, and debunk myths around weight and performance. Now in grad school, pursuing a Master of Science in Nutrition and Nutrigenomics, Alexa wants to help athletes foster healthy relationships with eating and their bodies in her future career as a Registered Dietitian.  In this episode we talk about: 8:00 Alexa’s early running success: turning pro aged 17 as a high school phenom  13:45 Struggling with confidence and comparison 18:30 Personal growth and identity in athletics  21:40 Retiring from pro running; Losing the love for your sport  27:00 Alexa’s challenges with her weight and diet  30:50 The lack of nutrition education as a pro runner; the importance of dietitians for athletes  38:00 Linking weight with performance  40:45 Alexa’s future career in nutrition  45:25 End of the podcast questions  We mentioned Female Athlete Nutrition podcast episode 23: Nancy Clark: Founder of Sports Nutrition: https://www.riseupnutritionrun.com/podcast/episode/30166805/23-nancy-clark-founder-of-sports-nutrition  Follow Alexa on Instagram @alexaefraimson and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, on Instagram @female.athlete.nutrition  If you find value in this podcast and would like to support the show, join our patreon community! Become part of our Fiercely Fit and Fueled community today, and receive bonus episodes, merch, monthly recipes, access to an exclusive community message board, and have the chance to ask Lindsey your questions and get a podcast shoutout, and more! Head to patreon today patreon.com/femaleathletenutrition Your support means a lot! Need help with your fueling? Want to get in touch with Lindsey? Interested in the Female Athlete System of Transformation?  Head to www.RiseUpNutritionRUN.com to learn more & book a call! THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Previnex: https://www.previnex.com/ use code RISEUP for 15% off at checkout InsideTracker: www.insidetracker.com use code RISEUPNUTRITION for 20% off the entire store  THIS PODCAST IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY: Orgain, head to www.orgain.com and use the code RISEUP30 for 30% off your first order. Repeat customers can use the code OA2203 for 25% off future orders. Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp  Jen & Keri: https://jenandkeri.com/ use code RISEUP10 for $10 off your order