How Peloton Instructor Ally Love Starts Her Mornings

Even if you’re not a devoted 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 who actually enjoys waking up early, Love has plenty of time in her day to get it all done. She begins every day with the morning slot at Peloton, teaching or filming classes at 6, 7, and 8 a.m.

“This means most days I’m waking up anywhere from 4:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. to start the day,” she told Well+Good. “I’m also an on- air contributor on the Today Show about once a week, which is mostly in the 8,9, or 10 a.m. hour.”

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

We caught up with Love recently to find out more about how she starts her mornings and how she stays grounded throughout her jam-packed days.

Her first priority is hydration

I get up, and drink water from the Contigo water bottle by my bed. I have more water bottles all over my house because hydration is very much synonymous with who I am. I talk about “hydration station” in all of 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 stimulation to drink water, so when I wake up I drink some type of water to get my system going.

I love Contigo water bottles—one of the things that drew me to them is their accessibility. As someone who grew up where you can’t afford the most luxurious things all the time, they aren’t 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 very much a 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.

Then she gets dressed before heading into the Peloton studio

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

She meditates on her way to work

On the way to work I do prayer and meditation, where I focus on a Bible verse or just work on my breath. I use the Peloton app for meditation classes, or I’m just silent and try to stay as quiet 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 create a huge impact. One of the things I recognize is that by anchoring my day in how or what I want to feel, I’m going into the day proactive instead of reactive. Some days I want to be very productive and I’m looking at “what” and some days it’s “how.” For instance, wow can I be quiet or listen today?

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

Up next, she sips hot water with honey and lemon as she preps for her classes

Every morning I have hot water with honey and lemon. I’ve been doing this since I started at Peloton. I love my Contigo water bottle for this because it keeps it hot so that I can drink it throughout the morning. I use a full lemon, a teaspoon of honey, and some hot water, and I shake it up and drink it while I’m getting ready to get my mind right before I teach my Peloton classes.

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

When I teach, it’s either a 30-minute class, two 20-minute classes, or a 45-minute class. There are many things folks don’t see. You might see me do one 30-minute live stream class to hundreds of thousands of members that can be taken throughout the day. But the reality is that most times we teach anywhere from three to six classes back to back. Because of this, I make sure to stay hydrated. In my water bottle I have Kion Aminos Powder BCAAs in the mixed berry flavor, and I and alternate this with regular water to make sure I’m getting proper hydration.

When I’m dehydrated, it leads to fatigue and I’ll forget my workout due to fogginess 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 may eat before the Today Show is bison jerky and avocado. What I’m getting there is more of a long-lasting protein with the jerky and a fatty carbohydrate for a quicker release with the avocado.

Last, but not least, she heads to the Today Show

I get dressed in my TV clothes and head to NBC to do my five-minute Today Show segment around health, wellness, and style. I also get to guest co-host from time to time, filling in for the 9 o’clock hour when someone is off.

So I teach, head to a Peloton meeting, and then I’m on-air live. After that, I have another Peloton meeting. Most days, I’m done with the work I have to be present for by 11:30 a.m., so my morning lasts from 4:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.