ABC News' Abbie Boudreau reports:

Sharon Stone is known for her looks, and her sultry sex appeal hasn't diminished as she's gotten older, but the "Basic Instinct" actress acknowledges that she struggled with aging.

In an interview with Shape magazine - where the actress posed in a bikini for the cover of the March issue - the 55-year-old revealed the turmoil she experienced when she started to show signs of age.

Sharon Stone on Aging: Imperfections Are Sexy

"I examined my face in the magnifying mirror, and I looked at my body, and I cried and cried and cried," she said.

"I think when you hit 40 you realize, 'Oh, I am going to be a grown-up woman. I'm going to get older, I'm going to get elderly,'" Stone added. "I think now we are in a time when we're like, 'What are we gonna do for the second half of our life.'"

Stone, who has three sons, says she stopped drinking alcohol and eating artificial foods. She started stretching more and exercising regularly, and even has a membership to 24 Hour Fitness, a chain of fitness centers.

Fabulous Over 50: Stars Flaunt Their Amazing Curves

"I think stretching is really key to keep yourself limber," she told the magazine. "I think you should be able to pick up your own body weight, I think. I think you shouldn't let your body get stiff … or stuck."

While Stone sticks to a diet of mostly fish and cheese, she does enjoy the occasional porterhouse steak.

A practicing Buddhist, Stone says she hasn't had a facelift, and isn't interested in being young forever.

Sharon Stone on Distorting Plastic Surgery

"It used to be when we were in our middle fifties we were like 'Oh, I'm going to retire! And I think now, we are in a time when we're like 'what are we going to for the second half of our life,'" she said.