How Peloton instructor Ally Love starts her mornings

Even if you’re not a dedicated Peloton user, chances are you’ve heard of Ally Love. Before becoming a Peloton instructor in 2017, the Miami native was a dancer for the New York Knicks, a model for fitness brands like Adidas and a host for the Brooklyn Nets. In 2023, she even hosted her own dance competition show on Netflix called Dance 100.

If her life sounds busy, that’s because it is. But as a self-proclaimed morning person, that actually enjoy Because she wakes up early, Love has enough time during the day to get everything done. She starts each day with the morning slot in Peloton, teaching or filming classes at 6, 7, and 8 a.m.

“This means that most days I wake up somewhere between 4:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. to start the day,” she told Well+Good. “I am also an on-air contributor to the Today Toon about once a week, usually in the 8, 9 or 10 o’clock hour.

Early to bed, early to rise, as the saying goes. Love hits the hay around 9pm to get enough sleep before having to wake up and do it all again.

We recently caught up with Love to find out more about how she starts her mornings and stays grounded during her busy days.

Her first priority is hydration

I get up and drink water from the Contigo water bottle next to my bed. I have more water bottles around the house because hydration is largely synonymous with who I am. I talk about “hydration station” in all my Peloton classes — whether it’s a barre class or on the bike — because I believe in the importance and impact of hydrating. Having a water bottle next to my bed is a visual incentive to drink water, so when I wake up I drink some type of water to get my system going.

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I love Contigo water bottles; one of the things that draws me to them is their accessibility. As someone who grew up where you can’t always afford the most luxurious things, they are not exclusive and only for the “in” crowd.

The name Contigo means “with you” in Spanish, and even though I’m not Latina, I grew up in Miami where it was a big part of the culture, so my family speaks some Spanish. So these water bottles are very nostalgic for me and remind me of growing up.

She then gets dressed before entering the Peloton studio

I’m not someone who spends a lot of time getting dressed for work. I remember my parents letting us pick out our school clothes the night before, and I still do. So every night before I go to bed I think about what I’m going to wear because I need fitness clothes and work clothes.

She meditates on the way to work

On the way to work I do prayer and meditation, focusing on a Bible verse or just working on my breathing. For meditation classes I use the Peloton app, or I just be quiet and try to stay as still as possible.

I ask myself every morning, “What or how do I want to feel today?” The reason this is important is because I understand that small changes in routine and habit can have a huge impact. One of the things I recognize is that by anchoring my day in how or what I want to feel, I go into the day proactively instead of reactively. Some days I want to be very productive and I look at “what” and some days it is “how”. For example: wow, can I be quiet or listen today?

A common question I get is: “How come you are always so positive?” I think it’s because I do these little things like hydration, preparing for my day and meditation. I say I am not a positive person, I practice positivity. I practice positivity through positive framing. Not toxic positivity, but rather positive framing

She then drinks hot water with honey and lemon while getting ready for her classes

Every morning I have warm water with honey and lemon. I’ve been doing this since I started at Peloton. I love my Contigo water bottle because it keeps it warm so I can drink it all morning long. I use a full lemon, a teaspoon of honey, and some hot water, and I shake it and drink it as I get ready to collect my thoughts right before teaching my Peloton classes.

Now it’s time to get on your bike and teach

When I teach, it is one 30 minute lesson, two 20 minute lessons or one 45 minute lesson. There are many things that people don’t see. You may see me teaching a 30-minute livestream class to hundreds of thousands of members that can be followed throughout the day. But the reality is that we usually teach three to six lessons in a row. This ensures that I stay hydrated. In my water bottle I have Kion Aminos Powder BCAAs in the mixed berry flavor, and I alternate this with plain water to ensure I get proper hydration.

When I am dehydrated it leads to fatigue and I forget my workout because of the fog in my brain. When it comes to hydration, I have my rule of three: I hydrate before exercise (with my hot water, lemon, and honey), during exercise (with my BCAAs or electrolytes), and after exercise (I have a vegan protein shake) . . I might also have a banana with almond butter on a rice cake.

I don’t always love breakfast, but one of the things I might eat for the Today Toon is bison jerky and avocado. What I get there is more of a long-lasting protein with the jerky and a fatty carbohydrate for a faster release with the avocado.

Last but not least she goes to the Today Toon

I get dressed in my TV clothes and go to NBC to do my five minutes Today Toon segment around health, wellness and style. I also occasionally guest co-host and fill in for the 9am hour if someone is free.

So I teach, go to a Peloton meeting and then I’m live on air. After that I have another Peloton meeting. Most days I finish whatever work I need to be there by 11:30, so my morning lasts from 4:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.