Ricky Martin, health and fitness expert and founder of Fit2Give
Anyone who works out with — or spends just a few minutes talking to — health and fitness mentor Ricky Martin is bound to start feeling positive and happy, just like him.
“I want to be able to uplift people and raise the energy in the room,” says the youthful-looking Martin, 65, about his mission to promote good health. “It’s my lifestyle choice, my ministry, it keeps me going.”
Martin has been a certified personal trainer for more than 30 years. He’s also a group exercise instructor, sports nutrition specialist, TRX instructor and a certified crystal reiki master, and he recently became a Centers for Disease Control-certified prediabetes lifestyle coach.
Martin recently launched a nonprofit, Fit2Give, to provide free personal training to underserved communities. Not everyone can attend a group exercise class — some need a one-on-one approach, he says.
Fit2Give just launched its first campaign to fund personal training for at least 10 people, with potential clients being recommended by area churches.
“The trainers will be paid; that’s why we’re taking donations,” Martin says. “We’re paying for expertise, we’re paying for their certification and their knowledge and their ability to establish a rapport with someone.”
Martin also helped to develop Sports Backers’ Fitness Warriors program, where he is still the lead trainer. The program trains instructors who then teach free group exercise classes, with a focus on communities that have high rates of chronic disease.
“Ricky’s guidance and leadership prepares Fitness Warriors to be fitness leaders and inspire active living in communities throughout Richmond,” says Pete Woody, Sports Backers PR and communications manager.
“Ricky shares that dedication and helps provide the tools and knowledge to make it a reality.”
Martin’s own path to fitness started when he was young, playing sports such as basketball and football. Later, he gravitated to weights and started visiting the gym to work out. He began reading fitness-related magazines and books, and while he was working out at the Downtown YMCA, “A supervisor in the gym suggested I take the exam and become a trainer because I was giving advice to everybody all the time,” he recalls. “They loaned me their book. I took the exam. I passed.”
Today, Martin has a special interest in helping people with prediabetes. “The CDC says that prediabetes is at an epidemic rate right now, so they’re really concerned about what’s going on, particularly in underserved communities,” he says. “I decided to get certified in that area so I can bring that information to people for free. That’s part of my Fit2Give program.
“We’ve proven that people feel better, their energy levels go up, they lose weight, simply by being a little more active and having someone with a caring interest to guide them and lead them.”
In his many years supporting people’s fitness goals, Martin says his clients’ success isn’t necessarily because he’s told them what to do. “A good listener really hears what the other person is saying,” he says. “If you listen, the other person will tell you what they need, and most importantly, they will be able to hear themselves what they really want. They’ll say, ‘I need to walk more.’ I'll say, ‘Yes, you do need to do that.’ ”
Helping to improve the physical and mental health of others brings Martin joy. He recalls one client who lost 100 pounds through improved diet and exercise. At her weigh-in, “Her family was there — her husband and her children, and they came up to me in tears and said, ‘We thank you so much. Our mom, she’s like a new person,’ ” Martin recalls. “It was amazing to me that not only had I affected her, I had affected her family. It was the first time I really got a sense it’s more than this person I’m working with, but it’s other people they come in contact with, too. That warmed my heart.”
Martin trains with client Brenda Johnson.
Brenda Johnson is one of Martin’s longtime clients. “My friends call me the Energizer Bunny,” she says. Johnson, who is in her early 70s, has been active for most of her life, but when she lost her husband recently, it was hard for her to get motivated to move. She says she felt her mind and body begin to deteriorate, so she decided to return to her exercise routine.
Martin inspired her to stay strong, and today, Johnson works out regularly. “It’s a mindset,” she says. “It gives you clarity. I need to keep moving until it’s my time.”
“I have a lot of wellness initiatives going on in the community, so that’s the inspiration,” Martin says of his work. “The inspiration is that there’s a need. People need the help.”
Never miss a Sunday Story: Sign up for the newsletter, and we’ll drop a fresh read into your inbox at the start of each week. To keep up with the latest posts, search for the hashtag #SundayStory on Twitter and Facebook.
