The 5 am club

The 20/20/20 Formula
won’t
work. And I’ll take back your membership in The 5 
AM
Club.’”
Three doves flew over the billionaire. He eyed them with a giant grin,
blew a kiss to one and then advanced his discourse on the morning routine of
history-makers.
“Training rigorously first thing in the morning is a total game-changer.
Moving vigorously shortly after you get up will generate an alchemy in your
brain—based on its neurobiology—which will not only wake you up fully but
electrify your focus and energy, amplify your self-discipline and launch your
day in a way that makes you feel on fire. Now, to be ultra-practical for you
two, I’ll say that your workout could mean taking a spinning class or
performing a bunch of jumping jacks and burpees or skipping like the pro
boxers love to do or doing wind sprints. Not sure what will work best for you.
The real key here, though, is to make sure you sweat.”
“Why?” asked the artist, now taking copious notes.
“For the reason you’ll see on the diagram. As you know now, cortisol is
the hormone of fear. It’s made in the cortex of the adrenal glands and is then
released into the blood. Cortisol is one of the main materials that stunts your
genius and devastates your implicit opportunity to make history. Very good
scientific data confirms that your cortisol levels are highest in the morning.”
“Fascinating information,” observed the entrepreneur, as she performed
another stretch in the Roman sunshine.
“Yes, it is. So, exercising from 5
to 5:20 
AM
—for just twenty minutes—
will significantly lower your cortisol and, therefore, dial you into your top
performance. Fantastic way to start a morning, right? Science has also shown
there’s a vital link between physical fitness and cognitive ability. The
sweating from a powerful workout releases BDNF—brain-derived
neurotrophic factor—which supercharges that organ for a winning day.”
“Wow,” said the entrepreneur, also taking notes at a furious pace.
“BDNF has been shown to repair brain cells damaged by stress and
accelerate the formation of neural connections, so you think better, and
process faster,” expounded the billionaire. “Another Gargantuan Competitive
Advantage, for sure. Oh, and it also promotes neurogenesis, so you’ll actually

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grow new brain cells. What’s that alone worth to you?”
“Wow times two!” shouted the artist, sounding very corny versus
displaying any hint of cool.
“My business will be untouchable and I, personally, will become
unbeatable as I execute on all these ideas you’re so generously sharing with
us,” offered the entrepreneur. Modeling what she’d seen Mr. Riley do when
others had been kind to him, she performed a slight bow to show her
appreciation.
“Absolutely,” agreed the billionaire. “And by exercising intensely during
the first twenty-minute pocket of 
The 20/20/20 Formula
, you’ll also release
dopamine, which you well know is the neurotransmitter of drive, along with
elevating your amounts of serotonin, the wonderful chemical that regulates
happiness. This means that by 5:20 
AM
, while your competitors are counting
sheep, you’re already amped to lead your field, achieve excellent results and
make the day ahead epic.”
“Would it be possible for you to be specific about what we need to do in
order to make sure we’re up with the sun?” requested the entrepreneur. “I
mean, can you get into a little bit of detail about what behaviors we must
perform so we actually get out of bed when that alarm clock goes off? I hope
that’s not a dumb question. Is that too basic?”
“It’s a great question,” said the artist as he stroked his girlfriend’s back.
“It’s a fabulous question!” exclaimed the tycoon. “And sure. Like I’ve
suggested, buy an old-school alarm clock—that’s what I use. As I said in
Agra, you never want to sleep with any technology in your bedroom. I’ll
explain why soon. Once you have your alarm clock, advance the time on it
from the actual time to thirty minutes ahead. Then set the alarm for 5:30 
AM
.”
“Really?” indicated the artist. “That seems odd.”
“I know,” admitted the billionaire. “But it works