The CEO of an independent leisure trust charged with getting more people, more active, more often, is leading by example thanks to MYZONE.

Like many of his customers, Martin Guyton, chief executive of Tonbridge & Malling Leisure Trust, which delivers sport and leisure facilities on behalf of Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council, struggled to maintain a regular exercise routine.

“In my younger days I was an extremely active sportsperson, but like many others I had lapsed into a regime of my regular weekend round of golf and a very intermittent gym habit. I would be quite committed for a number of weeks and then a simple interruption to my regime (work, injury or illness) would knock me off my stride and suddenly I would realize that I hadn’t been to the gym or taken any other cardiovascular exercise for six weeks,” says Guyton.

After dabbling with MYZONE at the industry networking event Active-net in spring 2015, Guyton started using the technology in earnest in September.

“I spend a lot of time extolling the virtues of the Chief Medical Officer’s advice to take at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week and decided I should really start to walk the talk. Although I was extremely conscious of the buzz in our industry and the media surrounding wearable technology, I was skeptical about it and couldn’t really imagine myself engaging with an app on my smart phone,” he says.

How wrong he was. The MYZONE heart rate monitor has proved to be a revelation and six months on Guyton is fully engaged with the technology.

“MYZONE has been an incredible motivator. I’m currently engaged in two long-term challenges and have built a community of social connections with whom I jostle on the monthly leader board. We share workouts through the app and I even find myself posting workouts on social media and engaging in light banter with friends and colleagues up and down the country. I’m a relatively light user of social media, but as a naturally competitive person this engagement has undoubtedly driven me to greater effort and reward.”

As a result of this new commitment to exercise, Guyton has shed more than a stone in weight and feels much fitter and healthier overall.

“I actually like going to the gym now, whereas it had always seemed like a necessary chore in the past. I’m very conscious of exactly how many times I’ve been to the gym, how many minutes of exercise I’ve taken in a week,” he says

The email updates act as a great motivator and reminder of his achievement of the Chief Medical Officer’s guidance. And, with the exception of Christmas and one week of injury, Guyton has not failed to achieve 150 minutes of exercise each week since the beginning of September. In fact, he now averages 240 minutes a week.

“I love the fact that MYZONE rewards effort. Like my golf handicap, it allows me to compete with myself and puts me on a level playing field with people who are both fitter and less fit than me. I also know that I can’t cheat MYZONE - no more pretending how long I was in the gym or how hard I worked.”

Impressed with the success of the MYZONE heart rate monitor and its ability to engage and motivate users, Guyton is keen for his own customers to benefit from the technology. Tonbridge & Malling Leisure Trust is therefore now investing in MYZONE to encourage local people to be more active, more often.