Summer Shred Final: What Changed, What Didn’t and What I’ll Keep Forever

A 10-week strength and longevity experiment that became something much bigger than weight loss.

When I first received the email and text invitation to join the Alpha Health 6th Annual Summer Shred Challenge, my reaction was simple:

I ignored it. But then my health coach, Faith, sent me a message:
“Hey, can I sign you and Lanny up for the Shred Challenge?” It’s free—I think you’ll enjoy it.”

I said yes without hesitation. And that’s when it hit me. What exactly did I sign up for? I wasn’t interested in a course on body building. But I thought, what the heck. Maybe I’ll pick up a few health tips, find a trick to dropping a few pounds, no problem.

Then I received my first set of instructions and a link to a stack of video training modules…and I knew I was in for something far different than expected. I assumed there would be a diet program and an exercise routine to follow. That was the norm and I was searching everywhere for the link.

Instead, we started out with body scans, weigh ins and immediate conversations about fasting and eating windows. The videos began with intermittent fasting. I was familiar as I had practiced that for quite a while. Or at least I thought I had. Then came this concept of eating windows and understanding more about what happens to the body when we eat and especially when we don’t eat. Now I am fully engaged and extremely curious about what I was about to learn. No longer sitting on the sidelines, I was ready to participate because this was clearly something different than what I had seen before.

The early weeks were about gathering understanding of the body and body composition and what changes to watch for. In the past, the scales had always been the basic tool of measurement for success or failure. But this time that didn’t even rank in the top 3. There were far more important metrics that I would begin to understand like muscle and fat ratios and my entire way of thinking about health and longevity was about to change.

As the weeks progressed, I learned more important lessons than any short-term diet had ever taught me.

I learned that honoring the eating windows, something I had never considered, would become a lifestyle change for me and it has. Those eating windows no longer included late night snacks because late night snacks would hinder the body’s ability to purge and repair its cells and the last thing I wanted to do was hinder that process. No snack was worth it.

I also began using at-home body composition tracking between appointments, which helped me better understand that weight alone tells very little about what’s actually happening inside the body.

The program also introduced me to peptides, which I continue to study with curiosity and caution. So far, I see them as supportive tools—not stand-alone answers.

One of the biggest take aways for me has been the acknowledgement that I need to slow down and slowing down is not a bad thing. Slowing down to enjoy the meal is not only relaxing and makes me better dinner company but it gives my brain time to receive the message from my stomach that I’ve had enough. Having run at a fast pace nearly all my adult life, I had forgotten what it’s like to enjoy a meal without a deadline running through my mind. It also reminded me of dinners with my family. We all ate together when mom said dinner was on the table. No one left the table until everyone was finished, especially my dad. Everyone had a chore to get the kitchen cleaned and back in order.

The most revealing memory was that when ‘the kitchen was clean, the kitchen was closed. That was it. My snacking habit and dessert habit had gotten out of hand over my adult years and this concept of slowing down and recalling my home life as a child brought back wonderful memories. What surprised me most was how quickly awareness alone began changing my habits. Once I understood what was happening inside my body—and slowed down enough to pay attention—many of the healthier choices began to feel natural instead of forced.

All the things I grew up learning from my parents and grandparents about good health, still apply today and maybe more so in the second half of life. What was once considered boring is now comforting. Boring brings long-term results that drama can’t deliver.

I’m grateful to the Alpha Health team, especially Faith, Marc and Holly, for creating an environment focused on education, accountability, and sustainable health improvements.

I joined this challenge thinking it would teach me about weight loss, fasting and body composition. Instead, it taught me that the healthiest changes are the slowest, calmest, and least dramatic.

— Jamie Harrington
Freedom to Thrive
Curious explorer of living well in the second half of life.