Chris Fahy, former CEO of DHL, shares his Myzone fitness journey

The phrase ‘work hard, play harder’ couldn’t be more apt for Chris Fahy. As the former Global CEO of DHL Global Forwarding, one of the most successful companies in the world, Chris is used to going above and beyond to attain his goals in the workplace. He takes the same approach to his health and fitness. .  

“I’ve always exercised – you have to be fit and healthy to lead a number one company – but I used to be like Forest Gump and run on the treadmill for hours before doing a few weights. Myzone has made me more consistent and much more specific about the exercise I do. My concept of fitness now revolves around MEPs.”

Consistency is right. Chris is just a few months away from reaching Hall of Fame status, despite his work as an investor, business consultant and private equity advisor regularly taking him across the globe. But thanks to Myzone he can earn his MEPs anywhere in the world and at a time that suits him.

“I take my Myzone everywhere. I was in the middle of a group challenge when I had to go Florida, so I ended up running on the beach to get my MEPs.”

Part of the community

Chris was the very first member to join the David Lloyd Leisure (DLL) club in Epsom some 20 years ago. He has seen the club evolve to take advantage of trends and technology. This includes Myzone, which was introduced to the club as part of DLL’s popular HIIT-based group exercise class Blaze. The full body workout combines cardiovascular training with strength, boxing and martial arts skills. Participants wear a Myzone belt to ensure they are working at the right intensities and their Myzone stats are projected onto digital screens. Chris is a big fan of the class.

“The live data shows when your heart rate is going up and down, so you know when to push yourself and you can also support your classmates. I’m a huge people person and I love the camaraderie of a Blaze class. We all chat in the breaks and touch gloves after the session. That positivity is really important to me.”

With key body stats at his fingertips, Chris can fine tune his training to maximise his MEP score.

“I might do a Blaze class to get 180 MEPs than follow it with some boxing on the bag to get me up to 250 MEPs. For me, it’s all about getting the MEPs.”

Getting competitive

He’s also completed lots of challenges over the years, including those against other DLL clubs in the UK. As captain, Chris has twice led his team to victory and during lockdown in April/May 2020, he came third in an individual challenge against almost 9,898 competitors across the UK. Buoyed by his success, Chris set his sights on DLL’s European competition and was crowned winner after beating fierce competition from more than 10,000 participants of all ages.

“I’m in my 50s, so I’m no young buck, but I’m mentally tough and I’ve become incredibly fit. I know this because Myzone shows me how quickly my heart rate drops. I can be in the red zone, then 10-15 seconds later I’ll be back in the green, then blue and ready to go hard again to get back to the red zone.”

Focusing on health

Chris has more reasons than most to focus on his health.

“I’ve had cancer twice so I need to make sure I don’t have any body fat around my organs. It’s very easy to put on the pounds as you get older, but Myzone is a good way to keep my weight and body fat in check. I really love to have data about my health, and understanding my heart rate, effort and calories helps me to manage my calorie intake during the day.”

Chris monitors his heart rate during his workouts and uses his phone to follow his live data in his dance sessions, to make sure he is in the right zones to maximise body fat loss.

Staying connected

But it’s the community aspect that Chris loves most about Myzone.

“Myzone keep you connected with people and I’ve made good friends through the app. It’s such a brilliant community. Everyone is so positive; they love to help each other, share their experiences and post photos. That’s been very valuable to me and has been great for my mental health.”

Chris is incredibly supportive of his Myzone connections and always takes time to like and post positive comments about their achievements, which only makes the connections stronger.

“I can tell if someone is struggling by looking at their MEPs, so I’ll message them privately via MZ-Chat to see if they’re ok and give them some support.

“Myzone is the perfect product for my DNA; its ticks a competitive box outside of my career, has changed my mentality about exercise and has been brilliant for my health. I can’t underestimate how great Myone has been for me.”