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Peloton's Ally Love Reveals the Romantic Story Behind Her Proposal: 'It Was Quite Beautiful'

Ally Love Instagram

Ally Love is cycling into a new chapter of her life.

While speaking with PEOPLE about her partnership with plant-based food company Kite Hill, the Peloton instructor dished on her recent engagement to longtime boyfriend Andrew Haynes and revealed the sweet story behind the surprise proposal.

Though Love revealed the news on Instagram this month, the Love Squad founder tells PEOPLE that Haynes actually popped the question on Christmas Eve.

Love, 34, says that she and Haynes traveled to Mexico for vacation last month as it was "a time throughout the pandemic where [she] just needed a break" and to "take care of [her] mental and spiritual self."

The pair — who share the same birthday — stayed at the Rosewood Mayakoba, which Love says is one of their "favorite places in the world."

"Obviously I had no idea that I was getting proposed to, and so our first day there, we had a private dinner on the beach. We have been fortunate enough when we do travel, when it wasn't COVID, we've done a lot of private things and experiences," she says.

As Love and Haynes frequently participate in private events, the instructor says she wasn't expecting a proposal and was just "so happy" to be there with her now-fiancé.

"We were having a conversation, and it kind of happened. He got down on one knee, and he opened the ring box," she recalls. "It was beautiful. Put the ring on, and we had private fireworks. He had set up the whole thing unbeknownst to me, and it was quite beautiful."

RELATED: Peloton Instructor Ally Love Is Engaged to Longtime Love Andrew: 'Unexpected and So Perfect'

Love, who had been dating Haynes for nearly nine years, says she decided to stay off of social media after the proposal and only share the news with close friends and family.

"I got time to spend in that moment," she says. "That's a time I'll never get back, and it was, again, quite special. I'm very grateful for it."

While the spin instructor and her fiancé are only beginning to talk about wedding plans, she says she knows she wants something "big and a little luxe."

"We're excited. I think it's going to be great," Love adds. "I think it's going to be a big deal."

The Brooklyn Nets host also spoke to PEOPLE about her partnership with Kite Hill and offered tips for people trying to kick off their 2021 wellness journeys.

RELATED: Peloton Instructor Hopes to Empower Women with Her Fit Pregnancy: 'Focus on What You Can Do'

"You always want to find things that make you feel good," Love says. "Instead of leaning into what I have to do or what I should do, instead of beating ourselves up, find what makes us feel good."

The athlete also shares that she is focusing on "the power of one" this year and urges others to do the same.

For example, she says to ask the questions, "How can you hold and sustain something for one more second? How can you do one thing today that's towards your one goal? How can you show up and give 1 percent more today than you did yesterday? How can you give 1 percent less?"

Kite Hill

"We fall in love with adding things onto our schedule. 'I'm going to add, add, add,' and we think that's success," she continues. "But how can we scale back and fall in love with subtraction, taking one thing away, only doing one thing? That reshapes our idea of what success looks like."

In partnering with Kite Hill to promote their new line of artisanal almond milk yogurts, Love says she also hopes to "open up the conversation" about dairy-free alternatives and inspire fans to discover a "new spin on yogurt."

"I'm excited to partner with Kite Hill to help others realize that reaching their 2021 wellness goals – in the kitchen and in the gym - is an option that's DEFINITELY available," she adds in a press release.