What you need to know
Julianne Moore is in top physical and mental shape thanks to some extraordinary advice.
“I remember my trainer saying, ‘You should take this opportunity to walk backwards,'” the 64-year-old actress tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview.
“So sometimes, especially when I’m going up a hill, I walk forward and then I walk backwards, because that’s really good for the body and the brain, because the brain is like, ‘Oh, what is this?'” Moore continues.
The Oscar, Emmy and SAG award winner added: “Meeting new people, playing new games, learning a language, anything that takes you out of your usual routine can be a kind of awakening.”
“You feel more alive when you do it. Learning something new or even silly makes everything better,” Moore further explains.
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Julianne Moore/Instagram
Moore, who partnered with Lilly to launch the new Brain Health Matters campaign, said as she got older and wiser, she started taking her overall health more seriously.
“When you’re young, you don’t really think about anything. I mean, you feel really apathetic about everything and anything related to health and wellness,” she tells PEOPLE. “But I think the more you accumulate in life, the more precious it becomes.”
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Moore, now a wife to husband Bert Freundlich and mother of two children, son Caleb, 27, and daughter Liv, 23, said she realized the importance of taking care of herself, which led her to take care of others.
“You have more people to care for, more people to love, and you realize that you’re more dependent on your body. If there’s something wrong with your body, it has a huge impact on your ability to function,” she says.
“People tend to take things for granted until something happens, but you’ll also learn things to make sure you continue to do the things you value, like regular exercise, eating well, and sleeping. All of these things will help you reach your full potential,” the star continues.