Jordana Brewster, 43, says it’s a 'badge of honor' to do her own 'Fast & Furious' stunts

It Figures is Yahoo Life's body image series, delving into the journeys of influential and inspiring figures as they explore what body confidence, body neutrality and self-love mean to them.

Jordana Brewster was 15 years old when her mom first brought her to the gym.

"I remember my mom snuck me into an Equinox fitness club in New York. And she was like, 'You can come to step class with me, and we're gonna pretend you're 18.' And I was like, 'OK, mom,'" she tells Yahoo Life. "It was about, you know, maintaining weight and being camera-ready and all of that."

That was her introduction to fitness via her mother, Brazilian model Maria João, who graced the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit in 1978. "She taught me a lot about discipline and maintenance," Brewster says of her mother. "But I also could never live up to what she does, because she's always, you know, very well put together."

In the early days of Brewster's career as an actress, she felt additional pressure to appeal to Hollywood's standard of beauty.

"I spent most of my 20s trying to fit into, like, a perfect box — which is impossible, really. And it's a waste of time," she says. "That’s what really sucks about being super self-critical or having body-image issues is that you're just trapped in your head, and you're not living in the present at all. So I think it just robs you of life, really."

However, recognizing that the "Brazilian ideal" was much different from what was gaining popularity in the United States helped her to maintain a healthier relationship with her body than she might have.

"You always wanted a bunda, [Portuguese for 'butt']," Brewster says. "It was never like the 90's heroin-chic thing."

Now, at 43, it's that multicultural upbringing that she credits for allowing her to enjoy movement without the intention of shrinking her body. "I've always loved being strong," she says. That's also driven her performance as Mia Toretto in the Fast & Furious franchise over the last 22 years.

"The more physical it is, the more fun it is for me," she says of her role. "When you're working with a stunt team, it's almost like working with a dance troupe. It's so meticulously choreographed and planned. ...To be able to be healthy enough to land the choreography and to do it myself versus having someone do it for me, it's like a badge of honor in a way. I want to keep doing that."

It's even contributed to her positive outlook on aging.

"When I see, like, the OG Fast and Furious. I'm like, 'Oh, my gosh, we do look very different.' But in a really cool way, you know, because we're evolving," she says. "I don't really have that many qualms with aging, because the actresses I admire the most are all in their 50s and they look unbelievable … They've been through it and their histories are much, much more rich. So it shouldn't just be about, you know, how you look."

As a mother — of sons Julian and Rowan, who play several sports each (inspiring her to recently partner with Lysol, the laundry additive that kills 99.9% of odor-causing bacteria, to share her "post-game laundry routine") — she's learned how important exercise is when it comes to dealing with the stress of parenting. "I need it for my mental health," she says.

Now, that's a lesson she hopes to pass on to her boys as they get older. "As far as the body stuff goes, I think it's as toxic for boys now as it is for girls. So I try as much as I can to focus on health, and what feels balanced and good to you?" Brewster explains. "The most important thing I try to foster in my kids is like, 'How do you feel? What do you think?' And not just what does everyone else think. Because I think that's the most dangerous, when your compass is focused outward instead of inward."

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