Maggie Q Feels 'Lucky' to Be With a Partner 'Who Cares More About My Wellbeing Than Even I Do'

Maggie Q's days are all about her three dogs — they go on a three-to-five-mile hike in the mountains every morning — and her work, but her evenings are strictly reserved for her partner.

"I make a conscious decision not to work at night. It's important to me that my partner knows they're a priority," the action star, who has not made her partner's identity public, tells PEOPLE in this week's issue, on newsstands Friday. "At night we'll catch up and solve any issues."

"I'm so lucky to be with someone who cares more about my health and wellbeing than even I do and reminds me to give more to myself, so in turn, I have more to give back," she adds.

At 42, Q — who runs her Activated You probiotics line and activewear company Qeep Up — believes she has "better health and energy than I think I've ever had."

"In my 20s I did not feel good, and I was so young," she explains. "So I learned and changed. I do a lot of stretching to stay limber in case I need to jump into an action project, which can be really demanding."

"I mean, I almost killed myself doing [the CW action thriller] Nikita," she continues. "I never in my life felt that level of fatigue, but I'm still proud of it. I don't know that I would ever repeat the amount of effort that got put into that because it was really a miracle that we were able to pull it all off."

Today, Q says that she has a "list of nos" when it comes to a project she's considering.

"If something comes in, and it's a drama, no. If it's out of town, no. If I have to negotiate and prove to people that I'm worth it, no," she explains. "I've been through that for 20 years, and I'm not doing it anymore."

That's why when she was presented with the Fox comedy Pivoting (airing Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. ET) it felt like a perfect fit.

"It was like, 'Wait a minute. It's not a drama, it's a half-hour, it's in town, it's with actors I respect. They're going to pay me what I want and not try to finagle me into being paid less than what I deserve,'" she recalls. "All the boxes were checked. I was very adamant that if any of those things weren't there, that it was a no."

"I think that's a really important part of life," she adds. "If you're willing to say no, you will get a lot of what you want."

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Saying "no" is also something Q has learned as she's gotten older. "It's extremely hard because you don't want to rock the boat or miss out. But I think that as women, we are very instinctual. The irony is that we have a lot of instincts, but we ignore them because it boils down to a self-worth thing," she says.

Over time, Q says she's recognized how "lucky" she is to have never had a "heyday" in her career.

"When you win an Oscar, then look for the next job, it's tough because that next job has got to be just as good," says the actress, who is currently writing a book on animal nutrition. "I never had that pressure."

"I've worked consistently, and while I'm in the spotlight, I can still do my thing," she continues. "I feel a deep confidence in that I have a body of work, I know what I have to offer, and if somebody doesn't want that, it's okay."

For more details on what Maggie Q's life is really like, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.