Voltage attended a community rally at City Hall in NYC on June 11, 2012 to support Mayor Bloomberg's proposed ban on over-sized sugary drinks and someone snapped a picture of her on the steps, with a 2-liter bottle of soda giving a big THUMBS DOWN to SODA. This picture has quickly become to backbone of a online/social campaign encouraging people of all ages to give the THUMBS DOWN to SODA! Our goal is to get people worldwide to give the THUMBS DOWN to SODA via Facebook and Twitter and show their support for their health!

Here's how you do it:

1. Grab a large soda cup or 2 liter bottle of soda
2. Take a picture of yourself or have someone take a picture of you with the soda cup/bottle giving a thumbs down to the camera (just like Voltage did)
3. Upload the picture to your personal Facebook and/or Twitter accounts
4. Mention Energy Up in your image posting by placing a @ in front of "Energy Up" and/or use the hashtag #choose2besugarfree via Twitter

Share with your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and everyone else in between!

If you have questions, email thumbsdown@energyup.org

We'll add your picture once you post and tag our Facebook page!

WHAT AN AMAZING EVENT!!! THANK YOU NORMA KAMALI!!!

After 24hours of frantic emails and phone calls after the video premiere/end of year party was cancelled, NORMA KAMALI came through for Energy Up! in a BIG BIG way. Energy Up! joined Norma Kamali’s Beach Party on June 13^th! What an amazing turn out, everyone looked amazing and my dear dear friend Katie Couric came out to show her continued support of Energy Up! and our girls. Katie is an amazing person and I’m lucky to have her in my life!

Thank you to Montgomery Frazier for these amazing pictures!

Energy Up!!!! WHOOOOO

What an AMAZING event!! We stood up and spoke out to the community from the steps of City Hall!! We showed everyone what SUGAR SHOCK is all about -- people couldn't BELIEVE how much sugar was in a 2-liter bottle of soda -- it's about education and moderation!!! Hopefully this is the first of many public displays in support for our health! If you don't love you, who is going to??

Energy Up!!! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Pictures here:

Mayor Bloomberg's proposal to ban over-sized drinks will be introduced to the Board of Health on June 12, if approved for public comment a public hearing will be held in July and the Board will vote on the final proposal in September. The proposal will be take effect 180 days (6 months) after approval by the Board of Health.

THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO SPEAK UP AND SPEAK OUT!!!

Join HIGH VOLTAGE and other community leaders from the Greater New York Hospital Association, Children’s Museum of Manhattan, Citizens Committee for Children, United Way of New York City, Public Health Solutions, and more on MONDAY JUNE 11, 2012 @ 11:00AM on the STEPS of CITY HALL for a PUBLIC COMMUNITY RALLY to speak up and speak out on how IMPORTANT this ban is the health of our community today and in the future!

HIGH VOLTAGE will speak out and showcase her trademarked "SUGAR SHOCK" in front of all supporters and naysayers - FACTS DON'T LIE!!!

SPREAD THE WORD!!!
ENERGY UP!!! WHOOOOOO!

"The proposal to ban over-sized sugary drinks by Bloomberg and the NYC department of health is a HUGE step in the right direction. We need more mainstream awareness like this to educate our society of the REAL DEAL effects of sugar on their weight and overall health. Sugar is the tobacco of this decade! Energy Up! and our "Choose To Be Sugar-Free school initiative support this proposal and hope everyone takes the time to educate themselves on proper moderation and healthy lifestyles prior to taking sides in this debate. Energy Up! Wooooo!" -- High Voltage

In case you missed the article in the NY Times, click below:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/nyregion/bloomberg-plans-a-ban-on-large-sugared-drinks.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all

Last night HBO debuted a documentary titled "The Weight of the Nation." If you missed it, be sure to go to http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com and check out the videos, the info, and how you can help make a change. As they say...TO WIN, WE HAVE TO LOSE. This is an epidemic and the stats that are included in these documentaries are straight up SCARY! This is real people! This is not political propaganda, this is a REAL ISSUE and for the first time in our history, there is a chance for life expectancies to go DOWN because of it!  We here at Energy Up! have been, and will continue to help spread the word of healthy lifestyles and continue doing everything in our power to make this right! Our children and their children are depending on us! ENERGY UP!!! WOOOOOO

Check out Mother Cabrini student Savannah Dominguez talking about choosing to be SUGAR-FREE below! Energy Up!! WOOOOO

Today Energy Up worked with Mother Cabrini High School to promote a healthy school lunch for the students in the school. Students gathered in the cafeteria during designated hours to try the new, healthy chicken, the salad bar and several other foods. Having spent the whole day in the cafeteria working with Voltage, I was able to see exactly how the students were responding to the new foods and environment.

The green and red lights sparkling, the music pumping, pink and turquoise table cloths and balloons everywhere created a fun and comfortable environment for the girls to get together and try new things. I was met with a very positive reaction to not only the cooked chicken but also the new salad dressings. Girls filled in to the cafeteria line faster than ever, excited to see what Voltage had to offer, knowing she’s never let us down before. What was surprising to the girls was finding out that the food being served was actually school food! How astonishing it was to learn that the school was capable of such things.
Eager to hear more of what the girls thought, I asked several of them how their day went. I was met with several responses such as, “Great!” and “Fun!” When I asked about the food, one girl explained that the chicken was better than before and that the rice was also much better than usual. I was also told that the salad dressings were fantastic!  She claimed that it was so good she ate a whole plate, as did I.

We, of course, had a few negative responses such as complaints about the lack of ketchup and the vending machines. The vending machine problem will be solved on its own if the school decides to be accountable for their actions. Though with the ketchup craze, one girl said, “I can’t live without ketchup at school,” to which I promptly replied with, “It doesn’t belong in school therefore you can live with ketchup outside of school.” I said this with a smile as I told her to sparkle up, letting her know that my retort was in no way to be taken in a bad way, just as an explanation.

Overall the Energy Up Invasion of Health Day at Cabrini was a success! The girls gobbled up the salads faster than ever before, adored the big pink cups used for water and enjoyed the fun music filled environment.  I know the girls at Mother Cabrini High School would be more than happy to be a part of another one of these events in the future. I also know that we all expect great things to happen with the food in the cafeteria and eagerly wait for the good results.  

Queens school plans to go sugar-free; Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria also bans bakes sales

Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria also bans bakes sales
By Clare Trapasso / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Soft drinks: Public enemy No.1 in obesity fight?

What an amazing event! What an amazing day! What amazing women! What amazing energy for our 1st annual Fit, Fab, Fierce Power Lunch. This week, Energy Up! once again took over the cafeteria at The Young Women's Leadership School of Astoria, the FIRST SUGAR-FREE SCHOOL in NYC.

We had so many INCREDIBLE, POWERFUL WOMEN in attendance. Thank you to everyone for their help in making this day happen.

Special thanks to:

Kris Brescoll, Leah Brickley, Karen Bussen, Carol Bynoe, Iman Dean, Wendy Dessy, Lisa Freedman, Laura Giuffrida, Christina Hill, Julia Moskin, Maria Muscarella, Kesha Nichols, Andrea Pizziconi, Greta Reinen, Tricia Rowan-Rossicone, Ashley Russell, Courtenay Smith, Gayle Sobel, Nahla Taher, and
Candice Taylor

Check out some pictures from the event below!