The first twenty minutes of the Victory Hour in Sharma's framework are devoted to one thing: intense physical movement. This is not optional. And the intensity matters. Here is why. Cortisol is a stress hormone produced in the adrenal glands. It controls how tense, anxious, and reactive you feel. And cortisol levels are highest in the morning — right when most people are trying to do their best thinking. Intense exercise at 5 AM — jumping rope, burpees, sprint intervals, dancing, anything that makes you sweat — dramatically lowers cortisol within twenty minutes. You go from a state of neurological stress to one of neurological calm, not through relaxation, but through physical effort. The body burns the stress off. At the same time, exercise triggers the release of BDNF — brain-derived neurotrophic factor. BDNF has been shown to repair brain cells damaged by stress and accelerate the formation of neural connections. In practical terms: you think faster, process better, and solve problems more creatively after intense exercise. Exercise also releases dopamine — the neurotransmitter associated with drive, motivation, and focus — and serotonin, which regulates mood and promotes emotional stability. In short: twenty minutes of intense movement in the morning rewires your brain for the day. Not metaphorically. Neurologically. Sharma also references something called Transient Hypofrontality. During and immediately after intense exercise, the prefrontal cortex — the part of the brain that constantly analyses, worries, and second-guesses — temporarily quiets. The result is what researchers and athletes describe as a flow state: a mode of consciousness where performance is effortless, focus is absolute, and the inner critic goes silent. For Emeka, who wakes up anxious before exams and struggles to concentrate: twenty minutes of jumping rope or skipping in his compound at 5 AM would do more for his mental state than another hour of reviewing notes in a fog.