Richard Simmons may be living life out of the spotlight, but he's still impacting people's lives in a profound way ... telling TMZ he's regularly communicating with fans who need help.
An emotional Richard told us by phone ... he's returning as many as 200 emails a day -- in addition to making 15 to 20 personal calls ... all to people who are struggling.
The fitness guru says he has gotten an overwhelming response to his "Daily Richards" .