12. Alexa Efraimson

This episode is an interview with former professional runner and soon to be registered dietitian, Alexa Efraimson! Alexa grew up in Washington, where she found running through soccer. She excelled quickly in the sport, and ended up signing a professional contract with Nike right out of high school at age 17. Alexa was a 2x member of Junior Team USA and is still the junior American record holder in the 1500. She was a member of Team USA in 2019 at the PanAm games, where she earned a bronze medal in the 1500. All throughout her time as a professional runner, Alexa struggled with her relationship with food and body image which she feels may have negatively impacted the length of her career. She ultimately stepped away from competitive running in 2022 after a traumatic family event, and ended up pursuing a career in nutrition. Alexa earned her Master's in Nutritional Sciences and Nutrigenomics, completed her dietetic internship, and will be sitting for her RD licensure exam this July.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What it was like going pro at a young age, and how she quickly found her relationship with food and weight suffering
• Navigating thoughts of needing to be smaller and to eat less in order to be faster, and advice she would give young athletes who want to see immediate success
• The mental load that comes with food and body image struggles, and how it can take away from your relationships, love of the sport, and quality of life
• What led Alexa to her decision to retire from professional running, and how she is navigating body and identity changes after sport
• How Alexa has worked towards healing her relationship with food and body image, and advice for athletes struggling with body changes
• What a career in nutrition means to her, and what her journey has looked like in pursuing the RD credential

If you would like to keep up with Alexa, you can find her on Instagram at @alexaefraimson.