Energy Shot Blog

With just two races left in the demanding and exciting 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, it's time to take a quick look at where the two drivers of 5-Hour Energy Racing are ranked and how the final push for points heading into Phoenix and Homestead will be supercharged with a few extra 5-Hour Energy shots.

All season Steve Wallace has combated shredded tires, crumpled sheet metal, mechanical failures and spinouts to prove that he is among the finest in the Nationwide Series. Piloting the No. 66 5-Hour Energy Chevrolet has had its ups and downs for Wallace, but his consistent driving, zeroed-in focus and physical endurance has earned him a solid seventh place in overall championship points before heading to Phoenix International Speedway for the Able Body Labor 200.

Making a stunning Rookie debut at Bristol Motor Speedway with a pole position qualifier, Brendan Gaughan has impressed the 5-Hour Energy Racing team in the No. 62 Extra Strength 5-Hour Energy Chevrolet throughout the season, continuing to push hard from ninth place in championship points. Gaughan has also been in close competition for the Rookie of the Year title with Justin Allgaier, Michael Annett, and Michael McDowell. Gaughan's noteworthy performances in this 2009 season include three Top-5 finishes and 8 Top-10 finishes, which he'll hope to add to first at Phoenix and then at the season-concluding Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 21.

Labels: 5-Hour Energy Racing, energy shots

It’s been called the "obesity tax", "junk food tax", and "fat tax", and even more states are now tacking on a little extra levy on unhealthy food and beverages to slim the waistlines of Americans and try to expand skinny state budgets during economic strains.

We first mentioned the obesity tax in our February post, "Sugary Beverages May Carry 'Obesity Tax'", which told about a 15% tax being worked out for the state of New York and then again in May when it was mentioned that U.S. Senate was drafting a solution to increasing healthcare costs which included a nationwide "fat tax." Today, the idea to tax unhealthy foods and beverages is gaining steam and more states are adopting it, nearly three dozen to be exact.

On Sept. 1, Illinois became the newest state to add a tax on foods deemed as "unhealthy choices." The state’s new taxes vary by type of food and by location. For example, a sugary energy drink will be taxed 6.25% across the state, but beverages classified as soft drinks in Chicago will carry a tax of 14.25%.

Across the nation backers of the "obesity tax" suggest that it could help offset the estimated $147 billion cost of treating this health epidemic, while critics argue that the route a healthy nation is education, exercise and balanced diets. Any way you look at it, our nation needs to make better choices when it comes to food and drink.

Every week more than 4 million people choose 5-Hour Energy shots instead the sugar-packed alternatives. With zero sugar and only 4 calories, 5-Hour gives you the energy you need void of fillers and void of the "obesity tax."

Sources:
http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE5806E520090901?rpc=64

http://bit.ly/AORu4

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/nyregion/17sugartax.html?_r=3

Labels: 5-Hour Energy, energy drinks, energy shots, obesity tax

Back in April of this year the post “Study Confirms that Caffeine Can Ease the Pain of Your Workout” looked at the results of a University of Illinois test that gave reasoning as to why gym rats walk around with their Java or energy drinks during a workout. We showed you that the caffeine-workout connection was not just for the boost to help push the limits of your workout; it was also for the healing affects that many overlooked.

That study clearly suggested a benefit between caffeine and working out. But what we didn’t emphasize enough was the importance of choosing a caffeine source that wouldn’t hinder the results of your workout with excess sugar and calories, large amounts of carbonated liquid, and all the extras that are counterproductive towards your fitness goals.

We followed in May with the post “Round 1: Energy Drink Comparison: Shot vs. Can – Compare Ingredients” that scrutinized the nutritional facts of a 2 oz. 5-Hour Energy shot and a 16 oz. canned energy drink. If you didn’t read it, the post simply showed you that it’s more beneficial to choose 5-Hour over canned energy drinks. But how much time and effort are required to burn the calories if you chose a canned energy drink over 5-Hour Energy shot?

Body weight is all about the amount of calories we take in minus that which we burn. So when you compare the four calories in a 5-Hour Energy shot to the 100 or 200 in the canned option, it’s clearly going to take more time and effort to use up the competitors beverage. How long to burn off that energy drink? The chart below shows the time needed to burn these calories across various exercises based on what the average person can expect.


HealthStatus.com Calories Burned Estimator: http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc

Few of us get paid to spend time in the gym and most of us use the excuse that we don’t have enough time to make it there. You’ve heard the saying “time is money.” With the sugar energy drinks out there you’re throwing away time, money, fitness achievements and more. With 5-Hour Energy you’re just getting a better boost for your workout, or after your workout and saving time that can be used outside of the gym.

Labels: 5-Hour Energy, energy drinks, energy shots

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI – Reaction to 5-Hour Energy’s latest TV ad has revealed the fragile egos and atrocious lack of communication skills in some skateboarders.

“Your last commercial i saw about your product five hour energy had me appauled. Your so jugdmental in it and ill will tell everyone i know to never purchase your product including me.”

The ad that has some skateboarders trying to construct sentences, for what appears to be the first time, involves two contrasting characters. On the left stands a young man dressed in jeans, hooded sweatshirt and sideways cap holding a skateboard and a can of Monster Energy drink. The other is a slightly older man dressed in business casual attire and holding a bottle of 5-Hour Energy. The two have a short debate about the attributes of their favorite energy drink. The bit of dialog that has touched a nerve among skaters goes like this:

“5-Hour Energy does it without the sugar. You’ll go from groggy to get it done.”

“You mean, like work?”

“Yeah, you should try it some time. 5-Hour Energy. Hours of energy now. No crash later.”

“Come on, it’s funny,” said 5-Hour Energy’s Energy Guy. “Everyone gets teased some time. It’s the basis of almost all humor. Just look at The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live. They poke fun at everyone, even the President. I mean, if the President of the United States isn’t above a little ribbing, neither are skateboarders.” He went on to emphasize, “We portray one single skate slacker and look what happens. Are there no slackers among skateboarders? Zero? Nada? Whatever.”

But some skateboarders believe the portrayal of one slacker with a skateboard is an attack on all skaters: “Thanks for making skateboarders look like [bleep] idiots to the people of america.. your depiction of skateboarders was so sterotypical and plain [bleep] stupid. To say that we are incapable of working? or saying that we dont know what the [bleep] to do if were handed the "mature" energy drink, we'd just [bleep] our pants or something cuz we just appearantly dont know anything.”

According to Linda Lange, president of PETE (People for the Ethical Treatment of English), the real victim in all of this is English language and grammar. According to a statement released by PETE the group is “extremely concerned ” about the quality of writing in the skateboarder’s complaint e-mails and that the language is being “twisted beyond recognition” by people who “are way out of their league in front of a keyboard.”

“We’ve received about a dozen or so complaints about the ad,” said the Energy Guy. “It bothers me that these people take themselves so seriously. I think skateboarding is cool. It takes a lot of talent and courage to perform well in that sport. I just wish some skateboarders weren’t such whiners.”

Labels: 5-Hour Energy, commercials, energy shots

The cars of 5-Hour Energy Racing have thundered their way up the rankings of the NASCAR Nationwide Series and earned some impressive driver awards along the way.

After a 7th place finish in the Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 6, 5-Hour Energy driver Steve Wallace took home the Featherlite “Most Improved Driver” award. The wheelman of the No. 66 5-Hour Energy Chevrolet crossed the line 22 places better than the week prior at Dover and moved up to the 10th position in the championship points standings.

This is the second season Wallace has been a pilot for the 5-Hour Energy team. Last year fans watched the young gun capture his first career top-5 and top-10 finishes with a little added boost from his preferred pre-race beverage.

In the No. 62 Extra Strength 5-Hour Energy Chevrolet, rookie Brendan Gaughan finished in second place in the CarQuest Auto Parts 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on May 23. More recently Gaughan sealed a fourth place finish in the Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway. It was only his fourth race in the Nationwide Series and he impressed the crowd as the highest finishing rookie in the June 13 race. Gaughan stands solid in 7th place for the championship and has ample races left to make it to the top with a little help from a shot of Extra Strength 5-Hour Energy.

Labels: 5-Hour Energy, 5-Hour Energy Racing, energy drinks, energy shots

With the popularity of energy shots it’s not uncommon to see new competitors pop up almost daily, many of which try to mimic 5-Hour’s formula. But hey, copying is one of the best forms of flattery. Even more recently, big beverage companies have spun off some of their brands into shot sized drinks. Clearly, energy shots have caught on in a big way, but why?

5-Hour Energy became a leader in the energy drink market for two reasons: 1) the product really works, and 2) it dared to go small. But what about canned energy drinks? A lot of people buy them and there are a lot of brands from which to choose. So how does one decide between energy drink and energy shot? The team at 5-Hour felt it only fair that it give a side-by-side comparison of the regular 5-Hour Energy shot to a popular 16 oz. canned drink to help you decide which is best for you.

The match will be between a leading 16 oz. canned energy drink and a regular 5-Hour Energy shot. In each round we will compare a different attribute which consumers give careful thought to when choosing their boost.

Stay tuned for round one, a nutritional comparison.

Labels: energy drinks, energy shots

May 20, 2009

What started as a state-level proposal from New York Governor David Patterson has become a national idea among U.S. lawmakers as a means to cover the rising costs of the nation’s healthcare.

The proposal seeks to implement a tax on beverages high in sugar, including soda and energy drinks – those deemed unhealthy and a possible cause for the rising obesity rates among Americans - 5-Hour Energy shots contain no sugar and would be free from this tax. We first looked at the proposal in our February blog post titled Sugary Beverages May Carry "Obesity Tax." At the time the Gov. Patterson unveiled arrangements to add an "obesity tax" of about 15 percent on the sale of unhealthy beverages as part of the state’s new budget plan.

That same idea has been outlined by the Senate Finance Committee during a closed-door meeting to reevaluate the aims to provide affordable healthcare to all Americans. Simply put, if implemented the taxes collected on the sale of these beverages would help finance affordable healthcare for all, including the 46 million without medical insurance.

According to an article from Reuters, President Obama would like to see a $635 billion "reserve fund" as foundation to expand medical coverage to the uninsured. Others believe that the final costs could be upwards of $2.5 trillion in order to control the rising medical costs. The committee is expected to have a draft of the legislation passed through the Senate by August.

The committee is considering the correlation between sugary beverages and increased obesity, which in turn increases healthcare costs. Beverages that would be exempt from the tax would include sugar-free drinks like 5-Hour Energy shots and artificially sweetened beverages, both of which would be categorized under healthier choices like milk, juice and water.


Sources:

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Washington-Watch/Washington-Watch/14280

http://health.yahoo.com/news/reuters/us_usa_healthcare_financing.html
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/15/would-an-obesity-tax-curb-calorie-filled-drinks/?apage=1

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/12/14/2008-12-14_governor_paterson_proposes_obesity_tax_a-1.html

Labels: energy drinks, energy shots

Do you remember the movie There's Something About Mary? There is a scene in the movie that reminds me of what's going on in the energy shot market. Ted, played by Ben Stiller, has just picked up a hitchhiker played by Harland Williams. The scene goes like this:

♦ HITCHHIKER: You heard of this thing, the 8-Minute Abs?

♦ TED: Yeah, sure. The 8-Minute Abs – the exercise video.

♦ HITCHHIKER: Yeah, well this is going to blow that right out of the water. Listen to this – 7-Minute Abs.

♦ TED: Yes. Right. OK, I see where you're going.

♦ HITCHHIKER: Think about it. You walk into a video store. You see 8-Minute Abs sitting there, and 7-Minute Abs sitting right beside it, which one are you going to pick, man?

♦ TED: I'd… I'd go for the seven.

♦ HITCHHIKER: Bingo, man. Bingo. 7-Minute Abs. And we guarantee just as good a workout as the eight minute folk.

♦ TED: Guarantee it? So how do you do that?

♦ HITCHHIKER: If you're not happy with the first seven minutes, we're going to send you the extra minute free. See, that's it. That's our motto. That's where we're coming from. That's from A to B.

♦ TED: That's… that's good. That's good. Unless, of course, if somebody comes up with 6-Minute Abs. Then you're in trouble, huh?

♦ HITCHHIKER: No. No. Not six. I said seven. Nobody's coming up with six. Who works out in six minutes? You won't even get your heart going. Not even a mouse on a wheel.

♦ TED: Good point.

♦ HITCHHIKER: Seven's the key number here. Think about it.

Funny, right? But the same thing has been happening in the energy shot market for years. Since we introduced 5-Hour Energy in September of 2004, unimaginative competitors have tried to fool consumers by claiming to provide six, seven or even eight hours of energy. Some of them have tried to copy our formula. Some of them even directly copy our directions and warnings word for word.

Yeah, well this is going to blow that right out of the water. Listen to this – 9 Hour Energy! No, wait – 10 Hour Energy! Damn, this could go on forever.

It can be confusing out there, but please be mindful that 5-Hour Energy is only 5-Hour Energy. We have not, nor will we ever, release anything other than a 5-Hour Energy brand energy shot. We do not have a 6-hour, 7-hour or 8-hour version.

Competitors continue to enter the market. 5-Hour Energy continues to widen the gap. To this we say, thank you. Your loyalty to 5-Hour Energy is impressive, and we appreciate it.

I got it! 13 Hour Energy! Bingo, man. Bingo!

Labels: energy drinks, energy shots

With the Cinco de Mayo celebration kick starting the month of May, we decided to keep the cultural theme alive and revisit one of 5-Hour Energy’s most popular uses, combating the Siesta Syndrome.

There are few who do not suffer from that tired feeling that piggybacks the lunch hour. Some call it the "food coma" or "afternoon lull" and it seems to decrease afternoon production rates and cause the work time to drag on. Fortunately, there are many like you who suffer from Siesta Syndrome. A recent study by UK Company Avenance showed that 74 percent of people hit that wall and need a nap.

Many blame Siesta Syndrome on poor lifestyle choices such as the lack of exercise, poor diet and insufficient sleeping habits. Although they may be contributing factors, the medical field has a more natural explanation. Siesta Syndrome can be attributed to what the medical field calls circadian rhythm. This conglomerate of brainwave activity, hormone production, call recognition and other activities maps out the sleeping and feeding habits in animals. Taking this medical explanation into consideration, humans are simply programmed to need some sleep in the afternoon.

Now you have an excuse for your diminishing production following the client luncheon. We don’t recommend using it, but the facts are there to back it up. Just rest assured that when the excuse doesn’t workout, 5-Hour Energy Shots offer a quick boost that will carry you through the afternoon and into your evening routine without the *crash. With the way things are in this economy, our fans can’t afford to fall behind or miss an opportunity because of a biological clock that they didn’t program.

Labels: energy drinks, energy shots

We are all aware of the sacrifices our troops make on a day-to-day basis to protect our lives and maintain a nation of solidarity and freedom. Showing our support for the troops is not only important here on the home soil, but also around the world on military bases, temporary camps and on the front lines.

In an effort to relay that patronage following 9/11, Operation Gratitude was created to support the nation's soldiers and boost morale with care packages containing letters of appreciation, food, entertainment items, hygiene products and more. Today, the care packages continue to help troops endure the intense physical conditions and time away from friends, loved ones and their lives in America.

In 2007 5-Hour Energy began donating 5-Hour Energy shots to the Operation Gratitude effort. The 5-Hour Energy shots help keep troops alert and energized, and also give them a little taste of home.

"We're proud to be associated with Operation Gratitude," said Carl Sperber, Director of Corporate Communications for Living Essentials. "U.S. Troops have the most difficult job imaginable, and Operation Gratitude's mission to lift morale and put smiles on faces by sending care packages is one we're honored to be part of."

As a non-profit, volunteer corporation, Operation Gratitude continues reaching out and relaying our country's support. The team at Operation Gratitude also maintains a wish list of the simple things our troops could use like batteries, moist towelettes, fans and board games. Additional ways Operation Gratitude helps Americans express their respect and appreciation in a hands-on manner is through collection drives and letter writing campaigns.

You can find out more about Operation Gratitude and all that this philanthropic effort has done for the men and women over seas by visiting the Operation Gratitude Web site. It's never too late to lend a hand to those who risk their lives daily.

Labels: 5-Hour Energy in the News, energy shots

Everyone has seen it, you're at the gym and you notice that many choose coffee over sports drinks or regular H2O. When energy levels are burned off from the stresses outside the gym, the caffeine in that cup of coffee carries many through a routine workout. Even more invigorating, and probably unnoticed by the java Joes at the gym, is that the caffeine in their mug of dark roast also helps ease the pain of their workout.

Robert Motl, a University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor, did a study with 25 college males to test the claims that caffeine does in fact reduce the pain of a work out on both coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers. During the tests, Motl's team put the subjects through routine cycling exercises and prior to the workout, participants were given a pill. Some received a dose of caffeine and others a placebo. The study found that caffeine does reduce pain during a workout in both habitual coffee drinkers and java-free gym goers.

Being a stimulus that works on the adenosine neuromodulatory system, a part of the brain associated with pain processing, caffeine diminishes the physical pains of athletic exertion. This is encouraging news for everyone who wants to become more physically active.

Many go to the gym and push it until the pain convinces them to call it quits. This is the point where a natural and healthy boost like caffeine can take it to the next level. By reducing the pain of a workout, that level at which we tend to drop off because of exhaustion and soreness gets pushed back and the extra workout increases the health benefits.

The caffeine-workout connection helps explain why so many are chugging large raspberry mochas into the nation's health clubs. You, like everyone else, want to get the most out of the time invested in a workout. But you are not a coffee drinker or running on a full stomach of dark brew isn't the greatest idea. A quick solution is a 2 oz. 5-Hour Energy shot. 5-Hour Energy shots have the same amount of caffeine as a cup of premium coffee and are sugar-free, contain only 4 calories and they store nicely in your gym bag.

For greater details about Motl's caffeine study, you can read about it in the April edition of International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.

Sources:

• LiveScience Article


• Medical News Today Article


• University of Illinois News Bureau Article

Labels: energy drinks, energy shots

Just a few weeks before the ball dropped in Time Square marking the start of 2009, New York Governor David Patterson unveiled plans to add an "obesity tax" of about 15 percent on the sale of unhealthy beverages as part of the state’s new budget plan.

The proposed tax would help raise healthcare funds and promote healthier choices, a strategy that may be adopted by other states. Under Gov. Paterson’s proposal, those beverages deemed unhealthy include drinks high in sugar like regular soda and energy drinks. Beverages that would be exempt from the tax and falling into the healthy drink category include milk, juice, bottled water, diet drinks, and sugar-free beverages.

Sugar, along with plenty of extras, is used in a lot of energy drink formulas. For example, one popular energy drink fills a 16 oz. can with 62 grams of sugar (that’s over 13 teaspoons) and 25 times the calories found in one 5-Hour Energy Shot which contains zero sugar and only four calories.

An "obesity tax" may or may not provide a budget and waistline solution in New York, but it is another tactic being adopted to promote healthy choices in what consumers purchase and what manufacturers produce. Since its introduction in 2004, 5-Hour Energy has been an industry leader and innovator by providing working adults, extreme athletes, college students and all-around sleepyheads with hours of “smooth energy” without the unhealthy extras.

Sources:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/15/would-an-obesity-tax-curb-calorie-filled-drinks/?apage=1

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/12/14/2008-12-14_governor_paterson_proposes_obesity_tax_a-1.html

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/680eadd0-cad9-11dd-87d7-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

http://www.5hourenergy.com/index.asp

Labels: energy drinks, energy shots, sugar free