Jane Seymour has always been proactive about her health.
In a new interview with People magazine, the “Harry Wild” actress, 74, opened up about acknowledging a major “wake-up call” when it comes to understanding heart health and risks.
“My mother had heart disease. My father died of heart disease,” said Seymour, who recently teamed up with the American Heart Association as its newest ambassador. “My sisters and I, we all need to watch our cholesterol and we take statins.”
“More women die from it than men. It’s the number one cause of death for women, more than all the cancers put together,” she added. “One in 5 women in the U.S. will have a stroke in their lifetime … I think it’s a wake-up call.”
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Seymour said she understands stress can factor into a lot of health issues, so she tries to keep it to a minimum in everyday life.
“Stress is a big component [in health], so I do everything I can to not stress or to handle stress. I sleep eight hours a night … when I’m filming, and I’m starting at 4 in the morning. I will set the alarm during the day and I tell myself whether I actually sleep or not, I will lie down and attempt to sleep and meditate to sleep,” she said.
The actress said she learned a valuable lesson from her mom, Mieke Frankenberg, who also inspired her Open Hearts Foundation.
“My mother had it right. She said, if you have purpose, you will live a longer, happier life. My mother survived a concentration camp for three and a half years in World War II, and she was a Japanese prisoner of war in Indonesia,” she said.
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“She said, in life, everyone has challenges. If you can accept it, which is the hardest thing to do in life, open your heart and reach out to help someone else, you will find purpose and purpose is key,” she continued. “Purpose is the key to longevity and happiness.”
“I hope [people] choose life. I hope they choose life in the fullest form — in health, in happiness, in being heart-healthy, in making good choices with their food, with their diet, or sleep patterns. Listening to what the doctors advise and monitoring their heart health and realizing that life is really worth living,” she added.
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Earlier this year, Seymour opened up to Fox News Digital about how she manages to stay in shape.
“I am now the size I was when I was 17 and a ballet dancer,” she told Fox News Digital in July.
“I try to stay around the same weight, but without going crazy about it. I have gotten bigger [over the years], but I never gained more than 10 pounds. I was smaller when I was in [1988’s] ‘War and Remembrance’ and when I was playing Wallis Simpson, where I had to be crazy thin, which is not a healthy weight for me. It makes my immune system weak.”
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Even during moments of celebration, Seymour is mindful of her healthy habits.
“I almost always never have breakfast,” the “Dr. Quinn” alum explained about her diet.
“I will have liquids and my vitamins. I’ve got this vitamin combination that has collagen. I’ll have that in the morning and either black tea, coffee or water. And then at lunchtime, I’ll have a fabulous meal, whatever I want pretty much. I tend to like salmon, shrimp and grilled vegetables. And I love Italian food. I might have a little eggplant Parmesan; it’s a favorite of mine. Maybe some lean chicken.”
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The former Bond girl also noted that it’s important to stay active daily. However, she listens to her body about what it needs each day.
“I work with a lady… it’s almost like physiotherapy, but it’s a workout. I do Gyrotonics and some Pilates – a lot of floor work, believe it or not, even though I’m on a bench. But everything I do, anyone else can do at home, in a hotel room, their living room, their garden – anywhere where you can put a yoga mat down. I do Pilates legwork, which is like doing some of my ballet. I can use my own weight or a ballet bar.”
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“I’m also a believer in light weights,” she shared. “I’ll have an eight-pound or a five-pound weight in each hand. I’ll do arm work while I’m doing my legs. And the beauty of Pilates, Gyrotonics or even ballet is that it’s all about being able to do it properly. It’s not something where you rush in and jump around and can easily get injured.”
Fox News Digital’s Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.
