Deep sleep is when growth hormone actually gets released — the stuff responsible for rebuilding muscle, repairing tissue, and regulating fat storage. Most veterans I talk to are running on 5-6 hours and calling it normal because that's what years of shift work and deployments trained them to accept. Here's the problem: cut sleep short, and you don't just feel tired. You blunt the exact hormone response your body needs to recover from training at all. You can eat perfectly and train hard and still stall out — because the repair window never opened.

Monday. Set the tone now or spend the week chasing it. Today's task: 20 grams of protein in your first meal. Not a suggestion — a floor. Eggs, a shake, leftover chicken, whatever's fastest. Most guys in this group aren't undereating on calories. They're undereating on protein first thing, running on caffeine until noon, then wondering why recovery's garbage and cravings hit hard by 3pm. Fix the first meal, fix the day. Report back: what'd you eat?

Dave reacted to Hegseth's plan to test troops' testosterone this week, and the reaction alone is worth watching: Veteran Reacts to Hegseth's Plan to Test Troops' Testosterone The short version — the Pentagon just built an entire annual screening program around a truth this group has operated on from day one: low testosterone isn't a discipline problem, it's a biology problem. If you've spent years blaming yourself for feeling flat, unmotivated, or like your edge disappeared somewhere after service, this is worth ten minutes of your day. The military is finally catching up to what we've been fixing in here. Full video's linked above. Watch it, then tell us — did anything in there hit different for you?

@Kathy McLachlan , first week in the group: down two pounds. The only thing she changed? No eating after 7pm. Here's the part that got her — she'd have sworn she never ate late. Then she actually paid attention and realized dinner was landing at 8pm most nights. Getting that last meal in before the cutoff was harder than she expected. That's the whole lesson right there. It wasn't a diet overhaul. It wasn't hours in the gym. It was one boundary, held consistently, that exposed a habit she didn't even know she had.

Welcome To Veterans Getting Fit AF (Start Here) 👇 This group was built to give you everything you need to get leaner fitter and harder to kill --- We are so excited to help you on this journey!! Inside this community you will find 5 key areas: 1️⃣ Community - Where you can post, comment, and interact with other members 2️⃣ Classroom - Where you'll find your course materials 3️⃣ Leaderboards - Where you can see our top contributors and rank for prizes 4️⃣ Calendar - Where you'll find the call schedule in your timezone and the Google Meets link and you can click and add it to your calendar (please make sure you do this) Here are your next steps: 1. Create a new post and welcome yourself to the community. Tell us where you're from, what made you decide to join the VGFAF and some of your fitness/personal goals; 2. After you've completed the steps above - Start Module 1 of your intro course by Clicking Here 3. Check the calendar to see when the next Monday Moment of Health call is coming up If you want to use Skool on the go: Download the mobile app On the iOS App Store, or search for "Skool Communities". Get the Android app here. The more you give the more you get inside this community. We are rooting for you & we are here to support you! We're On The MOVE!! Categories ❓Ask If you have something you want the community to help you with - just ask! 🏆 Wins If you've got a win, victory or something you want to celebrate - tell us. Workouts Post a new one or ask for suggestions General Discussion Anything that doesn't fit the last 4 categories.