This Fitness Instructor Wakes Up Without an Alarm—Check Out Her Morning Routine

What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed in the morning? A well-rounded morning routine sets the tone for the day and gets you prepped—both mentally and physically—before diving into a packed schedule filled with emails, chores, happy hours, workouts, and more. Our series Morning Person profiles those who have mastered the art of the morning routine. Tune in every Monday morning here and on our Instagram to learn exactly how the pros get it all done before the sun comes up, from their go-to breakfasts to their a.m. workouts.

What's your relationship with your alarm in the mornings? Some people get up on the first alarm. Some people hit the snooze button continuously. Others set up alarms in five-, 10-, 15-minute increments. If you have a love-hate relationship with your alarm but couldn't function without it, you'll be surprised to find that Los Angeles–based fitness instructor, trainer, and creator of Sweat Sessions (a dance cardio sculpt class), Aubre Winters, wakes up without an alarm (and on time, too).

If that intrigues, or maybe even inspires you, Winters shared her morning routine with us below. See how she gets her day started, and you might even feel compelled to ditch your alarm (or at the very least, stop hitting snooze).

My morning routine Monday to Friday used to look a lot like this: Wake up at 5:30 a.m., quickly throw on some activewear, wash my face, brush my teeth, run out the door by 6:05 a.m. to make it to my first class of the day at 6:30 a.m. Rushing through my mornings before super-busy days did not do much for my mental health or anxiety and would leave me feeling exhausted by 2 or 3 p.m. After doing this for over a year, I knew I had to start prioritizing "me" time in the mornings to ensure I start my day feeling grounded, organized, and upbeat!

These days, I teach only two early mornings a week. My morning routine varies day to day, but here are a few things I do for me each and every morning when I wake up.

5:30 A.M.

I wake up without an alarm (but still always set one just in case). I will lie in bed for a few moments to stretch, rest in Child’s Pose to open up my hips, and take a few deep breaths.

5:45 a.m.

I turn on a chill morning playlist or the Calm App and slowly peel myself out of bed to make some coffee. Some mornings, I will spend some extra time on my skin giving myself a mini facial. On Mondays, I love sitting in bed with a face mask, my coffee, and tunes, and will journal a bit and scan Pinterest for some motivational quotes. (Each week I try to channel a different theme or intention for weekly inspo.) I love Tula's sheet mask or Beautycounter's charcoal mask followed by my new fave Living Libation face oil and BioClarity products. I will do all of the above for about an hour or so! This routine is a little different each morning, but for the most part, I take this block of time to get my skin feeling fresh and soul inspired!

6:45 a.m.

I try my best to stay off of Instagram and emails until at least 45 minutes after I wake up. Once I am ready to see what's happening on the 'gram or on e-mails, I sign on to get to anything that I might need to prioritize for the day.

7:30 a.m.

Let's get moving! Physical activity is everything to me and vital to my mental health. Some of my most creative breakthroughs happen mid-workout, so I while I am not always motivated to go to my own workouts (especially because I teach 10 to 15 classes a week), I will always prioritize them. At least once a week, I wake up and drive to the boardwalk in Venice, throw on my rollerblades, and blade down the coast. During this time, I love catching up on podcasts and finding new music while enjoying the ocean view and palm trees. Rollerblading is actually such a good workout too; I always break a sweat, and my legs and booty are always a bit sore!

8 a.m.

Workout time! When I am not living my best Cali-girl life on my blades, I love signing up for a heated sculpt class or a mega-reformer Pilates class. Heated classes have been a go-to for me lately, as it feels so good to sweat it all out! Every once in a while I get motivated to go to Barry's Bootcamp, but it still makes me nervous ever since I fell off the treadmill at the West Hollywood location a few years back. (LOL, yes, I was that girl!) Health House in West Hollywood is a new fave, but I am a little partial because I am a teacher there. (Come try a class with me!) I definitely love getting my workouts done in the morning so I get that extra boost of energy to get my day going.

9:30 a.m.

Head to Erewhon Market (#guilty, I'm obsessed) or my other favorite, Rainbow Acres, for a morning juice or smoothie! After some convincing from my girlfriends, I jumped on the celery juice train, so I have been trying to take one down before having a small breakfast.

10 a.m.

Head home, shower, and get ready for a kick-booty day!

Morning routines don't have to look the same each and every day. As someone who has always been a morning person but hasn't always taken advantage of "me" time in the a.m., I can genuinely say that creating hobbies in the morning that make me feel good mentally and physically has changed my energy, mindset, and overall well-being. My mornings set the tone for how I go into each and every day, so I always make sure to make them count and go into each day feeling like my best, most inspired self.

If you want to take a class with Aubre and live in the Los Angeles area, take a look at her teaching schedule at the following studios:

Alo Yoga at Pacific Palisades

Bandier Studio B LA

Equinox in Marina Del Rey and South Bay

Health House in West Hollywood

Next up: The Creator of a Viral Instagram Account Shares Her Morning Routine