Brooke Shields may not have any secrets to give away regarding her on-screen artistry, but she’s more than willing to divulge the details of her newly refined workout.
Recently, the Pretty Baby actress has moved behind the cameras to focus on wellness, launching a haircare line called Commence and regularly exercising after having an unexpected seizure.
In November 2023, Shields spoke to Glamour about the scary moment that took place two months prior. According to the 59-year-old model, she had a “a full-blown grand mal seizure” before her show Previously Owned by Brooke Shields at Café Carlyle in Manhattan.
“I was preparing for the show, and I was drinking so much water, and I didn’t know I was low in sodium. I was waiting for an Uber,” Shields remembered. “I get down to the bottom of the steps, and I start evidently looking weird, and (the people I was with) were like: ‘Are you okay?’”
The Mother of the Bride then walked into L’Artusi, forgetting why she left her house in the first place, only to be approached by two women. Shields said she immediately blacked out, her head hitting the wall.
“The next thing I remember, I’m being loaded into an ambulance. I have oxygen on,” she added. Shields explained that “grand mal seizures” mean “frothing at the mouth, totally blue, trying to swallow my tongue.”
To her surprise, Bradley Cooper was with her in the ambulance, holding her hand.
Now, after the frightening incident, Shields said she is doing everything she can to ensure she’s maintaining a healthy lifestyle, which includes working out.
In conversation with Today, the rom-com star opened up about how she’s altered her fitness routine since getting older and having her body affected by the seizure. Previously, Broadway has been her workout bootcamp.
“It gets you in shape for you … I come out of a Broadway show rock solid and fit and haven’t even realized I’ve done it,” Shields admitted.
Of course, things are different now. “It’s much easier to get out of shape quickly. That’s been a bit of a shock to my system,” she noted. “The big thing for me is I’m now finding things that I actually really enjoy doing rather than just beating myself up in the gym so that I can fit into something, because it’s so demoralizing to me and it’s so frustrating.”
That said, Shields has found Pilates, specifically the Nofar Method on the reformer, to be her go-to these days. In her opinion, “really difficult Pilates” is the best because it’s “no impact” and she always leaves drenched in sweat.
The Hollywood star added: “That, combined with drinking less, and then doing a cardio of some kind, like a SoulCycle class or a rower with music – do 10 minutes. Even just that, I’ll start to see results.”
From her routine, Shields said she’s noticed she’s gaining a good amount of weight in her stomach but simultaneously reducing belly fat.
In terms of hydration and diet, she said she is consuming more sodium, drinking water cautiously.
On how the seizure made her rethink her diet, Shields said: “Made me a little afraid of water, which is terrible. I was drinking copious amounts of water out of nerves and fear, like a gallon.
“And I depleted my whole system from the sodium it needed. I didn’t know that. You’re taught salt is bad, water is good,” she continued. “I just – I overdid it. I’m not saying I’m drinking less water, but I’m pacing myself now with how I drink. I don’t overload.”