In the red of health

Early in the morning, when most people were still in bed, they came from all corners of Metro Manila and trooped to the Market! Market! activity center last December 3 with one common goal: To step up and be counted among the participants of Coca-Cola! Step Up, one of Coca-Cola’s healthy and active lifestyle (HAL) initiatives.

Living HAL includes three key values: eating a balanced diet, proper hydration and regular physical activity. Step Up is Coke’s way of encouraging more people to start getting physically active for their health.

Over the past few weeks, three pocket events for Step Up were held at the Quezon City Circle, the Luneta grounds, and The Fort grounds. Last Sunday, the biggest Step Up event was held, with the whole day divided into one-hour workout sessions led by Fitness First instructors.

Every calorie burned by the participants of Step Up was converted into P1 by Coca-Cola and donated to charities. These beneficiaries included the Center for Environmental Awareness and Education, Project Brave Kids, Department of Education, Red Cross, Nutrition Foundation of the Philippines, Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Operation Smile, Gabriel Symphony Foundation, Philippine General Hospital, and the GMA Kapuso Foundation.

The event was hosted by funnyman Bayani Agbayani and Dawn Zulueta, to the absolute delight of the crowd.

"I’m happy that I was able to help others just by exercising. I hope Coca-Cola will be able to help more people through programs like this. I also hope that next year, they will hold Step Up again," said participant Dennis Corpuz.

Celebrities also joined in on the workout sessions throughout the day. Comedian Pokwang, Pinoy Big Brother’s Jayson Gainza, matinee idols Frank Garcia, Paolo Contis, Polo Ravales, and actresses Regine Tolentino, Ciara Sotto, Pauleen Luna, and Alessandra de Rossi all joined in to help promote the values of HAL.

Step Up was actually Regine Tolentino’s second time to take part in Coke’s HAL initiatives. "When there are events like this for charity and for the promotion of health, I really want to help," she said. "It’s a fun activity for the whole family. So it’s very important to express that; to promote it and really shout it out to everybody that it’s time to change and to start a new lifestyle."

But the enjoyable workout sessions were not the only attractions of Step Up. Regine’s group of belly dancers also performed during the event. A dance group called the Unlimited Boys also entertained the crowd with their splits and high-flying flips.

Senator Pia Cayetano graced Step Up by accepting the donation for the Gabriel Symphony Foundation, of which she is the founder. She said, "We are very thankful to Coca-Cola for their support. This donation will go a long way towards helping children with special medical needs."

Many other activities went on outside the workout area. There was a boxing corner where people could learn about the sport. There were booths by different organizations like the Red Cross and the Fitness Experts. The Fitness Experts is a show on Qtv Channel 11 sponsored by Coca-Cola. There were also games like the hydration game which informed participants about this important aspect of health.

Coca-Cola Export Corporation president Alex von Behr led the volunteers by joining the 4-to-5 p.m. session. He gamely moved to the music and followed the instructors onstage, along with the rest of the huge crowd.

At the end of the day, the participants and all those involved in Step Up went home with a sense of fulfillment at having worked up a sweat and done a good job promoting HAL.

So, step right up and live a healthy and active lifestyle today!