By Felix Martin, II | HealthCorps Coordinator 2011 - 2013
August 1, 2018
My name is Felix Martin, II and I was a HealthCorps Coordinator based in Hiram Johnson High School in Sacramento, California from 2011-2013. I hold degree from Mississippi State University in Kinesiology with a concentration in Health Fitness Studies. I now run my own online MindBody coaching business as well as coach classes at Orangetheory. I am also a commercial model.
My journey with health and wellness began at thirteen when I began my battle with hypertension and asthma. I doubted I would not make it to my 20’s for fear of passing out in dangerous places or suffering a heart attack. I did not feel like a normal teenager and was not comfortable enough within my own body to pursue many physical activities. I failed to pursue running track and even feared letting anyone know what was happening because I felt like an outcast. I thought, “No one else is experiencing this, so I am different.”
However, I consider this time a beneficial time in that I was able to figure out that a change in my situation was going to require a shift in my mindset from thinking of myself as a victim to thinking of myself as a victor over my experience. In order to change my mindset, I needed to examine what I was doing to contribute to my asthma and hypertension. This examination was eye-opening. I began to realize how much I had control over my own health though simple lifestyle changes. It was then that I began to research the nutritional, exercise and better body habits that came to define the way I now live. My life got better.
The greatest lesson I learned at HealthCorps about creating change is that it starts within yourself. You have to FIRST look in the mirror and decide to be what you would like your world to be. Change happens in stages, like an unfolding flower, not to be rushed. When I would conduct programs within my school’s community, I knew change took time. Students had to warm up to my ideas. If I wanted students to participate in health fairs and after-school fitness programs, I had to first show them how important the core values underlying these programs were. Once they felt my authentic passion for these values, they were inclined to embrace HealthCorps programming without hesitation.
My experience with HealthCorps, enables me to incorporate the skills I learned there into my current coaching practice and help others change their mindset to ultimately become a better version of themselves physically and mentally. I love continuing the mission of promoting mental resiliency!
My favorite HealthCorps moment was when one of my high school graduates told me that he decided to pursue Kinesiology as a major in college because of my mentorship.
My second favorite moments were leading Teen Battle Chef! Oh man, the food that those students would cook together made my afternoon! Especially the Vietnamese spring rolls!
Social Media: Facebook @ Felix Ray Martin II Instagram: @Felixraymarii, @TrainingWithFelix