Fitness Instructor Leticia Martinez Shares Her 4 Summer Wellness Tips

The 2025 Swim Search finalist is the founder of The Elevate App, where she offers custom exercise and nutrition content.

Leticia Martinez / Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images

Model and fitness instructor Leticia Martinez is the founder and creator of The Elevate App, a platform that offers workout plans and nutritional support to subscribers who look to her for sustainable lifestyle changes and real results. The 2025 Swim Search finalist, who loves both strength training and Pilates, is known for working one-on-one with her clients in order to create custom routines that fit their lifestyles and interests.

We recently caught up with the 27-year-old New Jersey native to get her expertise on how to put together a summer fitness routine that sticks. Here’s what she had to say.

Set realistic goals

Martinez’s style of coaching is all about sustainable lifestyle changes rather than temporary quick fixes that are unsustainable in the long term.

“ Be real with yourself,” she suggests when it comes to creating a workout routine. “Be honest with yourself and what you can do, because that alone will just help you keep the momentum going. Especially in the summer, there’s a lot of ‘get your dream body in eight weeks’ and this and that, and at the end of the day, it’s all about long-term success in your journey and not a quick fix.”

Leticia Martinez / Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

Aim for consistency

Martinez believes in making your workouts fit with your lifestyle, not the other way around. She recommends taking a look at your calendar and seeing how many days a week you can dedicate to exercise. Scheduling consistent workouts is more important in the long run than, say, working out every day and dropping off after a few weeks.

“ If you know you can do at least two workouts or three workouts during the week, and you can consistently hit that for say, weeks on end, that’s perfect,” Martinez states. “ ... I always say like, if you can do two [days a week], that’s still amazing. It’s more so about what you can do consistently.”

Find workouts you enjoy

Perhaps you love to run or are fond of yoga. While exercise should challenge you, it shouldn’t be a drag, nor should it be something you dread. Martinez recommends finding a workout you particularly enjoy doing, as it will be easier to stick with.

“If you enjoy doing things outside of strength training, if you like walking, if you like biking, [that is] still considered a form of movement,” Martinez reminds us. “And I feel like that really does add up to the big picture. At the end of the day, no movement is bad movement.”

Leticia Martinez / John Parra/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

Remember that nutrition is all about balance

When it comes to fitness, the concept of “everything in moderation” applies to nutrition, too. While Martinez believes it’s important to have a diet that includes whole foods, veggies, protein and plenty of water, food should still be fun.

“ You should be able to enjoy yourself like 20% to 30% of the time with things that you want to enjoy,” she says of nutrition. “And I feel like at the end of the day, that will help you build a really great, healthy relationship with food in the long run.”

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