It isn’t a huge issue for most people to show up to work a little late once in a while. Unless you’re a host on a television show that goes live at 7 a.m. Good Morning America host Lara Spencer has her morning routine down pat. But somehow, she’s nearly always almost late for work. She opened up about the surprising reason why. Keep reading for all the details.

Lara Spencer Credits Her Mom For Love Of Early Mornings

Good Morning America contributor Lara Spencer believes she was born to be a morning TV host. She’s a big believer in the idiom “The early bird gets the worm.” And she credits her mother for teaching her that from a young age.

Lara Spencer shares her mother’s love of thrift shopping. The GMA host sadly lost her mom in February, but keeps her memory alive in a new reality competition show, That Thrifting Show. She spoke to PEOPLE magazine ahead of the show’s premiere.

The Good Morning America host opened up about hitting up thrift shops with her mom from a young age. “When we were little, she’d take me to thrift shops and flea markets, more out of necessity than a hobby. She used to say she had more kids than money. I was her youngest of six, and so she dragged me everywhere. She was a beautiful homemaker. She had great taste and a limited budget,” Lara Spencer shared.

GMA Host Reveals Why She’s Always Late To Work

The key to thrifting is getting to the shops early to get the best deals. Even as an adult, Lara Spencer sticks to an early morning routine. She detailed her mornings to PEOPLE magazine. “The alarm goes off at 4:10 and I don’t hit snooze. I put my phone on an alarm sound that I hate,” she said.

To make extra sure she doesn’t oversleep, she puts the alarm in the closet, so she has to get up to turn it off. Once she’s awake, she checks her text messages for any communication from her adult children and emails for news from the studio. 

Lara Spencer has no problem getting up in the mornings. The problem is leaving the house on time. She said she prefers to leave at 4:45 a.m. to beat the traffic from her home in Connecticut. But her dogs have other plans.

They want a Half Moon chicken treat before they come in. I have to show them the size of the treat. Usually for Betty, my little corgi, I can trick her and get her into the house and give her a small piece of the large biscuit,” she said about taking her dogs out to the bathroom before work in the mornings.

However, her other dog often makes her a little late. “My dog, Riva, works me like a fine instrument. She knows I’m under time pressure. If I give half the treat, she won’t come in. She holds out knowing the clock is ticking and I need to be in the car to work. So I finally give in,” she explained.

Dog parents can relate to Lara Spencer’s struggle to get to work on time. Share what your dogs do to make you late in the comments. That Thrifting Show premiered earlier this month on Freeform and streams on Hulu.