Keith Major; Naturi Naughton/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
Naturi Naughton is not only elevating herself, but also the lives of her two children
The Power actress recently chatted with PEOPLE about her mental and physical transformation, noting how it's impacting the lives of her family
Naughton, who recently starred in Eric Jerome Dickey's Friends and Lovers, is a mother to son Tru and daughter Zuri
Naturi Naughtonis not only elevating herself, but also the lives of her two children.
ThePoweractress, 41, recently chatted with PEOPLE ahead of the premiere of her new project,Eric Jerome Dickey's Friends and Lovers,about the mental and physical transformation she's made over the past few months.
During the conversation, Naughton shares that her positive mind and body transformation impacted those close to her, especially her sonTruand daughter Zuri. The actress tells PEOPLE that her children, whom she shares with husbandTwo Lewis, oftentimes come outside to work out with her during her sessions with her personal trainer, Jerry Joseph.
"That was a moment when I realized, like, 'Oh, it's not only working just for me, but maybe it's working mentally for the family members around me,' " she tells PEOPLE. "They were starting to want to get active and get involved and do things with me."
View this post on Instagram
TheAbducted at an HBCU: A Black Girl Missing Moviestar goes on to say that she's opening up her transformation process to her children, adding it feels "incredible" to include them.
"My son is only two, and he's like, 'I'm going to work out with mommy.' He'll try to pick up a weight, [and] it's so cute," she says. "I [am] ... just letting them be a part of the process. And then my daughter was like, 'Mommy, your tummy is not as big as it was.' And I was like, 'Oh, well, thank you, 'cause you were inside of there at one point.'"
"It feels incredible to be able to include my kids," Naughton adds. "They would cheer me on literally from the steps of my house."
The actress says working out with her children made the whole process feel "sweeter."
"During that process, it felt ... sweeter to know that I was being cheered on, I was being encouraged and that I also could inspire," says Naughton, giving praise to her trainer Jerry for allowing the workouts to include her family. "It does feel good when you can inspire your family and elevate their mindset."
View this post on Instagram
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
TheLottery Ticketalum tells PEOPLE she was able to see her own growth through her family's eyes. Between them joining her on workouts and reassuring her that all her hard work is showing, the doting mom says she was encouraged even more to keep going.
"As someone who's had two children, I know that even how I was feeling after my second baby, it was more like taking back control of my body and taking back control of how I feel in my own skin," she says. "And I think that that's something that's a struggle as a mother often, that I encourage people no matter what it is, just do what works for you and don't apologize for it, just do you."
Naughton adds, "I really want to be able to still be able to be healthy and feel active, not just for me, but for my kids."
Read the original article onPeople