Courtesy Shape

A word of advice: Don’t come between Julianne Hough and her eight hours of sleep.

“I’ve started forcing myself to go to bed earlier, because if I don’t get enough sleep, I’m miserable. I get cloudy, my eyes hurt, and I have to take a nap. But when I’m well-rested, I am rockin’!” said the actress, singer and Dancing with the Stars champ-turned-judge in the December issue of Shape magazine, on newsstands Wednesday.

Hough, who said she prefers to get at least eight hours of snoozing time, explained her five-step morning routine: Snuggling with her two dogs when she first wakes up, eating breakfast (which she says is “non-negotiable”), exercising, sitting quietly and expressing gratitude during “a moment of peace,” and, finally, creating her “look for the day” based on her schedule.

It should come as no surprise that Hough’s first meal packs plenty of nutritional power—you don’t get an ultra-toned body and the stamina for all those dips and spins by scarfing down doughnuts. “My favorite dish is an egg-white omelet or a scramble with veggies like asparagus, mushrooms, spinach, and kale. Protein helps me begin my day in a healthy way. It carries me all the way through,” she said.

And like many dedicated gym-goers who prefer to get their sweat sessions out of the way early, Hough is committed to her post-breakfast workouts. “Morning is my favorite time to exercise. I’ll either see my trainer Astrid [McGuire] … or hit a class at Tracy Anderson. I like to shock my body by doing different things,” she said.

Courtesy Shape

The star shared her routine, which was created by McGuire and mixes full-body strength training moves with cardio intervals for maximum impact. Hough seems to have a multi-tasking personality, and moves like the Drawbridge (shown below), which works shoulders, butt, abs and thighs, are a natural fit. “I love how one move and a dumbbell can work your entire body,” she said.

It sounds like her morning plan is working for her: Though her photo shoot for the magazine started at dawn on a warm Los Angeles day, she was already turning cartwheels as her dogs played along.

Courtesy Shape

“I feel like I’m on fire,” she said as she stuck the landing. Excuse us as we go reset our alarm clocks.

—Lexi Dwyer