Author: Tamara Matjašič

As the nice weather is approaching and sea is getting warmer, we are all thrilled to visit our favorite city on the coast or just travel somewhere to enjoy the view and the sun. However, this places we are planning to visit can be far away from our home town or place we are staying. If this is a case, we must take into account that longer rides can make us tired, unconcentrated, stressed, without energy, even more strong sun and traffic jams can make the situation much worse.

Warm days, beautiful coastline and good company are usually great excuses for the escape to the seaside or to travel to some distant places. While planning a trip or vacation we have to be aware of the things that may happen on the road. When we learn how to drive and pass a driving test we usually drive in a mostly unconscious, automatic way. Which means that we do not have to be very concentrated on what we are doing while driving. This can happened especially on the highway where the road is usually quite straight. Even more we can lose our concentration while driving for a long time or doing other thing while driving, like eating or talking with other passengers. Other important thing to take into account is stress while driving. For some drivers even predictable events such as maintaining a steady speed, pulling away at the lights and braking or just sitting in the car for a long time or in traffic can increase stress. However, we all know that anything can happen on a road, from being followed too closely by another vehicle and thus pressured to drive faster, having to break hard to avoid a collision, being cut up or meeting the other unpredictable events that can cause danger, it soon becomes clear why driving can rate as one of the most stressful activities and how connected with concentration it actually is.

For this reasons it is very important to prepare for driving as much as possible, even more for long distance driving. Enough sleep, calm head and hands are very important here and to avoid loss of concentration and bigger stress, we recommend usage of additional oxygen while on the road. Additional oxygen FeelOXY will help you to reduce exhaustion, increase endurance, increase endurance, increase power and energy, increase responsiveness of the body, increases mental concentration, increase level of concentration and reduce the level of stress. Even more, FeelOXY will provide your body with additional oxygen when you need it. Full can is very light and handy, so you can use it anywhere and anytime. Have in mind also that you are never too prepared for the driving. FeelOXY – the right can for you. One can – more uses.

Hypoxia – a term that is well known to most hikers and trekkers, probably to most pilots and passengers of sports, ultra-light, business, private and other aircrafts, those who are jumping in tandems, gliders and people who can find themselves at the altitudes above 2000 meters. But what exactly is hypoxia?

The term hypoxia is strongly connected with term hypoxemia. Hypoxemia is a state or a condition where our body, especially and the most important, arteries does not get sufficient level of oxygen. This can lead to hypoxia, which is a state or a condition in which whole body, cells and organs, does not get sufficient amount of oxygen to perform normal life functions. However, hypoxia is sometimes used for describing both states, hypoxemia and hypoxia as well, since it presents broader term in sense of insufficient oxygen level. Within the body, hypoxemia can lead to hypoxia, to various tissues and organs. The most severe for human can be brain hypoxia, since it can result in brain damage or even death. Even more, it can be experienced conversely, if a person experiences environmental hypoxia (low or absent oxygen in the environment from high altitudes or drowning for example), the person can develop hypoxemia.

Generally, both states, hypoxia and hypoxemia, can be diagnosed by physical examination of our body, through monitors that measure level of oxygen in our body or most convenient way through oximeters. Symptoms of hypoxia and/or hypoxemia can be acute or chronic, nevertheless can be very dangerous and vary in intensity from mild to severe. Most common acute symptoms are faster heart rate, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, sweating, cough, wheezing, lower confusion, headaches, fatigue or tiredness and raised blood pressure. Severe symptoms are changes in your skin color and nails, higher confusion, the inability to communicate, nausea and vomiting, disorientation, possible coma or even death. Neither acute or more severe symptoms can be negligible. Although we now know what the symptoms are, we also have to learn how to prevent them.

Hypoxia and/or hypoxemia may be prevented in some individuals by avoiding circumstances that reduce oxygen concentration in the environments or by providing oxygen before symptoms develop. The only treatment or prevention is thus to provide our body with additional oxygen, so body can again start to perform normal life function. Therefore we recommend our FeelOXY natural product – pure oxygen in a can, which will give you sufficient amount of oxygen to prevent negative effects, caused by hypoxia and/or hypoxemia. Beside raising the saturation level in your body, FeelOXY will give you additional energy and power for coping with everyday challenges. FeelOXY is all natural product, contains no calories, no artificial substances, all the materials are from European Union and it is not declared as doping by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

A week ago, Peter Vesel finished another stage race, this time JoBerg2c stage race in South Africa.  Riders faced 900 kilometers of proper mountain biking across four provinces of South Africa. The race lasted from 22^nd of April until 30^th of April. As organizers said: “The Old Mutual joBerg2c is ride where the destination is less important than the journey. It is riding the off-roads less travelled and trails never travelled. It is about the variation and beauty of this incredible country. You will ride trails never ridden and you will meet communities you would have never known.” And so it was, Peter and Ivonne ended race in 5th place in the overall mixed category where Peter said: “Overall I think JoBerg2c is a great stage race. First few stages are on fast gravel roads but the last few stages give us some proper technical mountainbike trilsˮ.

At the end of stage race Peter said he was a little bit tired but now thing have been put in the right place. The most beautiful stage was 8^th, where the trail, landscape and fans were amazing. He never experienced something like this before. Moreover, he even said that because of such beautiful landscape he sometimes felt tempted to stop for a minute and just enjoy the view. We were also interested in how much he had to prepare for the race. Peter told us that as he is training both on mountain bike as well as road bike, his practiced during one week are accumulated from seven to twenty hour per week, depends if preparing for something or not. However for him important part is also traveling to the place of the race. Whole travelling from home to house they (Peter and his family) were staying in the early days of the race in Johannesburg lasted exactly 24 hours. Along his 60kg heavy equipment he was accompanied by his family. Although members had their own obligation and they were not together a lot because of the stages and responsibilities after, Peter said that the whole race is really different if family is with him. They spent time together especially after the race. However Peter said that at every race he gives the most out of himself. Although, during race, he had some problems with the valve at the rear of the ring, he managed to repair it at the shortest time possible. With the ending result, he is very happy; moreover he said he would not change anything.

We also asked him about his whole career and which race left the biggest stamp. He answered that: “this is definitely the Cape Epic. Probably because it was my first stage race on a mountain bike. At this race I was 6 times”. In September we will also have a chance to see Peter three day stage race Trans Dinara, about other he stayed secret. As for the end, Peter said that during race he used FeelOXY product as it helped him at the high altitudes from 1500 – 1900 meters.

Oxygen is a fundamental condition for life; moreover it is an element that provides power to the living beings. However, the necessary amount of oxygen for the body vary depending on the situation, namely, an active body needs more oxygen than the body at rest. During the sports activities, breathing rate increases, no matter what the activity is performed, either running, biking, hiking or lifting weights. The reason for the increased use of oxygen, however, lies in the complex chemical processes in the muscles and bloodstream.

Oxygen is needed for the human body at any time, since it supplies muscles, organs, and the cells with the necessary power. Normally, our body function with oxygen from the air we breathe. Oxygen is dissolved in the plasma, where the part thereof is immediately consumed and part of it remains in the bloodstream as a reserve. During exercise our muscles perform harder work, which increases their demand for oxygen. This is the reason why our breathing and heart rate increase, because the body needs more oxygen. Throughout the oxygen that the body receives, whole oxygen in immediately consumed, also earlier created reserves of oxygen in the bloodstream, so we need to replace this loss. If the loss of oxygen is not replaced quickly enough or it is not replaced at all, our muscles start convert glucose into lactic acid and not the energy as it would with a sufficient amount of oxygen do otherwise, so after sports activities we usually become tired, regeneration process of the muscles become longer, lactic acid appears, which leads to the formation of “musklfiber” and usually we loose focus and desire for further physical activities, namely the lack of oxygen also limits the central nervous system and thus our ability to continue sports activities.

With the progress of technology in recent decades we have brought new ways of facilitating access to our body of supplemental oxygen. Our product FeelOXY, pure oxygen in a can, thus represents an excellent additive to increase the supply of energy and endurance, wherever it is needed. It can be used before, during and after physical activity. Before physical activity it will supply you with additional energy and power, during physical activity it will make sure to maintain power and after physical activity it will reduce the recovery time of the muscles. Supplemental oxygen FeelOXY is suitable for both professional and recreational athletes to perform aerobic sports, such as cycling, running, swimming, etc., as it helps to increase endurance and gives extra energy and anaerobic sports such as tennis, weightlifting, football, etc., to increase your power. It should also be noted that FeelOXY natural product without calories and artificial additives and by the World Anti-doping commission is not declared as doping.

Hangover is a well-known thing to most of us.  It usually happens after Friday or Saturday night and it can last up to 24 hours. Hangover is known as experience of various unpleasant physiological and psychological effects following consumption of ethanol. Negative side effects usually include headache, dry mouth, dizziness, drowsiness, nausea and anxiety, problems with concentration, absence of hunger or contrary and so on. Even though the process from drinking to hangover is still poorly understood there are some well-known psychological changes happening. First, when drinking alcohol we raise levels of acetaldehyde in our body, causing our body to function more difficult. While ethanol is by itself sufficient to produce most hangover effects, most of alcoholic drinks contain also congeners, which can make hangover even worse (study proved that beverage with darker color and thus more congeners produce worse hangovers). Additionally there are also dry mouths, caused by ethanol and low blood sugar, which both need to be addressed during hangover.

So how can additional oxygen help in curing a hangover? While we are drinking our body takes three molecules of oxygen to metabolize one molecule of alcohol in your liver. In result we face our self with hypoxia, state when there is oxygen deficiency in our body. Especially in our brain, since they cannot use oxygen as efficient as they did before. The acetaldehyde is then subsequently broken down into water (comes out in your pee after being removed from your blood) and also into carbon dioxide (which is expelled when you breathe out). If you’re loading your body with oxygen, it will be breaking down the alcohol and expelling from your body much faster.

Most of people are usually convinced that hangovers are caused by dry mouths and dehydration, there are actually caused by oxygen deprivation. When drinking you can measure your oxygen level in blood and when stop drinking you take up to 5 breaths of pure oxygen and you will immediately see how the level of oxygen will raise. That is why we recommend our FeelOXY product – pure oxygen in a can that will help you in overcoming unpleasant symptoms the day after the party. Around the globe you can also find oxygen bars, who are advertising how helpful oxygen is for curing the hangover, however you have to first come to oxygen bar and then wait there. FeelOXY presents an alternative since you can provide your body with additional oxygen when it is in need.

This week’s article is going to be dedicated to CEO of our company and founder of FeelOXY product – pure oxygen in a can – Alenka Vrečko. Alenka, by profession a lawyer decided to start her company in 2014 and until today she rebutted a lot of prejudice in relation to oxygen. Although nobody knows what the future holds, Alenka’s hope for product is to become well know not only in Slovenia but as well abroad, especially in Europe, Russia, South America, China, Japan, India and Australia. For sure, this article opens anybody eye really wide, since she explained everything about FeelOXY in the smallest details.

A lawyer who decided to put her profession aside, undertake her own brand and the production of pure oxygen in a can. Certainly an interesting and daring venture. What brought you to decision like that?

I’ve always wanted to experience business world, to have something of my own, develop my own product and succeed in the global marketplace. FeelOXY came by itself. Yes, I am a lawyer, the nature of business requires a lot of concentration, something you constantly examine and times in urge. By nature I am quite amrestless creature, I have to be in constant drive and I cannot stand still for a long time. In my head there is always a lot of thoughts, which is why concentration and fast way of life usually get me down. At a time when the idea of making my own brand and the production of pure oxygen was born, I kept pursuing my profession as a lawyer and, in addition, I carry out postgraduate studies commercial law, preparing for the bar exam, in addition to everything else I could not stand without my favorite hobby – sports for every day. I started to run out of energy, I was more and more tired and began to run low with concentration, for this reason I drank enormous quantities of coffee and thus did not have much sleep. Because I like to keep my schedule very full, I did not want to put any of above aside, but I started to investigate how could I gain extra energy and concentration. I do not like and do not accept the energy drinks, thus I was looking for a natural ‘booster’. Given the fact that my father is engaged in the gas industry, moreover he also participated in the construction of only the oxygen company in Slovenia, I increasingly began to study the properties and effects of oxygen. I knew that abroad (mainly US) athletes are using oxygen a lot, but in the larger cylinders. In the world and already in Europe, there are oxygen bars, where people walk to breathe pure oxygen, but in the case of sports activities, and at the time of reduced concentration it can be rather impractical, primarily because of the limited accessibility, as well as for reasons of efficiency, since it is necessary to add oxygen breathe in the moment when it is needed (ie intense sports activity, lapses in concentration, etc.). I was thinking how to put oxygen in a convenient portable bottle / dose, which would have been able to continue to carry, and to inhale pure oxygen at a time when it is needed. As a result, the idea of the production of pure oxygen in a can was born. When we ordered first samples and found out that breathing supplemental oxygen really helps a lot, I have decided that I will put it on the market and offer it to people because I was sure that others will also recognize good effect of supplemental oxygen. I decided to start my own business, which would take over all activities in connection with oxygen, invite people who have supported me to participate and began the story of FeelOXY. Since the establishment of this kind of company takes a lot of work, I put my profession as a lawyer aside, but certainly my kind of knowledge became very beneficial and continues to help me out during professional decisions.

We all know that lawyers do not have small paychecks and we know that putting a new product in the market extremely expensive and hard. Do you like challenges, believe in achieving the objectives you set for yourself?

Yes, indeed, much needed to be invest in such a project. Before I started with FeelOXY, I have a lot of work and I mostly gave all of financial assets aside, because I wanted create my own company with a global reach. At the beginning of the entrepreneurial path is impossible to expect that someone will give you cash to start a business and you definitely have to have your own. When you begin on your own, you have to get used to much less than you had before, because for a  few years in particular you need to invest, so most of the time, as well as money. You have to sacrifice a lot, there is almost no time for socializing, traveling, shopping, etc., however if you’ve got a goal in front of you nothing is difficult to give up, you just amend the wishes, expectations and change the view on the things. The most important for me is that I very enjoy my work, no matter what, and yes, I like challenges. If there were none, I would be bored since I do not like routine. I fully believe in the realization of my goals. On the question why I did as I did,  regardless of the fact that I had a ‘safe’ environment, employment, profession, which is really enough for all living conditions, the only answer is: I really believe in my product and in the fact that it could actually bring great effects on others. But you cannot make a great story if you do not you risk.

Oxygen in a can. How would you convince a skeptical Slovene in a few sentences said that, there is no harm but a useful story?

The problem is that at the beginning of most of people laugh, they do not even let you to describe a product to them, they do not want to test it and have their own opinion and are suspicious. I am mainly talking about the Slovenes. The problem with us is that we all like to put someone something under the knees, everyone wants to express their opinion before they test it and people tend to follow them. Abroad, the story is fundamentally different. The funny thing is that this same man, when gets recommendation from someone else, he comes back and then he is fully excited. Usually everyone said that they do not require the oxygen and that the oxygen is in the air, etc. The fact is that today’s way of life demands of us a lot of energy and concentration, due to the rapid way of life we ​​are often under stress, we are becoming increasingly depleted and a crowded working hours make us to loose concentration. On the other hand, more and more people are becoming engaged in recreational sports with greater physical activity (cycling, running marathons, heavy fitness training, etc.). In the crowded days, where in addition to the daily business duties and increasingly intense sporting activities, we need something to refresh us, give us new strength and reassures extra energy. Another factor which contributes to the exhaustion and fatigue is also increasingly polluted air, the lack of oxygen, leading to headaches and drowsiness. In all of this the inhalation of supplemental oxygen helps a lot. We introduce product to the people, they have the opportunity to buy and try it and then decide themselves whether they like it or not. Personally I do not put up with the negative reviews before people ask about the product and before they test it. In our county previously criticizing unfortunately became quite a habit. I am pleased to present the product as a Slovenian product, but I have noticed that in our country many people would bought the product likely, if they thought it were from any other northern European countries. Given the fact that in Slovenia there are no real support, my proud of presenting FeelOXY as Slovenian product passes me slowly. The above description was otherwise a more extensive, but it needed to be understood at a glance, however: due to the fast and busy way of life the ​​saturation of oxygen in the body decreases, which felt like a slight fatigue. With a few breaths of supplemental oxygen, the oxygen saturation rises and gives us extra energy, acting as a ‘booster’. Then we will continue again for some time to function normally. The drop in oxygen saturation (strenuous physical training, mental effort, long a flight, at altitudes above 2000m) therefore feel like a slight fatigue, we can measure with oximeter. Maximum oxygen content in the blood give us enough energy and concentration to a well-functioning and enabled us to move fast and hard rhythm of modern life. Well, this was not very short. With less is not that, but you can easy-: Try! 😉 At this point I would like to add that people is constantly asking me to prove them with some studies. There are a lot of things written on the internet, however, it is particularly important how oxygen works on ourselves and how we feel. On some the effect is bigger on some lower. I am always wondering why the studies are so important for the people- you have to try it yourself, no matter if there is written if it works or not. Anyone who asks me for the studies I tell them that there is a lot of studies available in the internet, several articles, professional studiers etc., I also asks them if they read so many articles before they drink coffee. The same stands for the various energy drinks and plates. People are fed in unlimited quantities, without checking what exactly is in them, how they body will accept them, how they work. But when talking about the oxygen they are extremely demanding, which is really interesting, because it is completely natural matter and nevertheless it is vital element for life.

How long did it take you to come to the final product that goes by the name FeelOXY?

Approximately one year. It was necessary first of all to study how to get started with such a product and get it to the market, then of course all technical matters, material properties, charging mode. Finally you start thinking about the appearance of the product. The hardest at the beginning is to get small amounts, since the companies with which we work, they work for the world’s biggest brands in various industries, and it is difficult to obtain material or a small initial amount to start. They do not take this seriously. Then, when you finally make deal, there are so many things to be resolved before you offer product, put it on the market, so yes, one year of preparation with a lot of time invested.

Apparently you yourself draw the first packaging?

Yeah, but all non-design and design masters laughed. I imagined it as the bubbles from below the light blue (the color of the oxygen in the liquid phase), stained in white, like going up in the form of spring. Well, then, together with really good designers we shaped appearance, as it is now, and I’m crazy about it.

Do you always have FeelOXY with you?

Of course, for me it is indispensable.

Oxygen is in fact intended for everyone from athletes to beauty care, elderly, etc., how it actually effects the individual?

It is primarily dedicated to persons active in sports, business people and the pilots and passengers of small private, sports, business aircraft and gliders, those with unpressurised aircrafts and those working on higher altitudes. Physically active people use it before and during exercise for power, strength, but after it contributes to faster regeneration. The positive effect of the additional oxygen will be best recognized when we are cycling uphill, running out of energy or at time when we would prefer to stop. In the moment like that breathe for example five deep breaths, in this way we give our body ‘boost’ that will wake us up, give us new energy. For physically active people the supplemental oxygen is also effective for interval training and exercises for strength between sets.

For businesspersons the inhalation is most appropriate when we are running out of concentration, having indoor meetings, driving longer distances by car and are under stress. It is also appropriate to reduce the jet-lag effect, on airplanes the oxygen concentration is lower than on the ground, so we after long flights became tired because the oxygen saturation drops.

Supplemental oxygen is also great addition for pilots and passengers, especially when they rise at the altitude between 3000 and 4000 m altitude (FL100 – 120). The atmosphere is composed of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% of other gases. Even at high altitudes, such percentages remain the same, however, the air pressure decreases when rising. Partial pressure is thus reduced, although the proportion of oxygen in the atmosphere is the same. At some point the pressure is so low that oxygen can no longer effectively migrate into the bloodstream, so we begin to experience symptoms of hypoxia, a condition in which the body or body part become deprived of adequate oxygen supply.

Additional oxygen applies also to women for feeling better and fresher look. Over the years we absorb less oxygen, so the skin begins to curl, which we especially for women, is not much fun. Oxygen makes the skin age slower.

Breathing oxygen is highly recommended also in the mountains above 2000m, especially when we go to trekking in the mountains and is also suitable for climbers.

Use of supplemental oxygen is and will be increasingly important for residents of large cities, where there is more and more polluted air. So far, we have in mind the Asian cities, mostly in China and India, but unfortunately it is becoming increasingly polluted air already in European countries where Slovenia is not excluded.

Finally, the inhalation of supplemental oxygen has positive effects, if we too deeply look into a glass, so to cure next day’s effects.

You also cooperate with some famous names from the world of sports in particular. Who is part of the FeelOXY family?

Until now, we have cooperated and continue to cooperate with the female professional cycling team BTC City Ljubljana, with professional road cyclist Luka Mezgec, with teaching pros Daniel, with a professional snowboarder Tim Mastnak, MTB rider and participant of the biggest mountain bike stage races in the world Peter Vesel, former holder of Olympic medals Sadik Mujkić, former top skier and Olympic medalist Jure Košir, member of the Slovenian ski team for alpine disciplines Maruša Ferk. For cooperation with professional athletes, of course, the most important fact is that supplemental oxygen is explicitly excluded from the list of prohibited foods World anti-doping organization and is not considered as doping.

 Do you plan to expand the family? Who do you want to make the next target?

In Slovenia, there are still many top athletes and who would not want to convince Peter Prevc, Philip Flisar, Goran Dragic?

Among the foreign athletes we would like to focus on cyclists who are on top of the world rank so, Nibali, Aru and from other sports someone like Rossi, Messi and Djokovic. Since the question is addressed to me, of course, I would prefer members of the male sex. However, it would be great to convince anyone else outside sports like. David Garrett (my favorite music artist, without listening to his music I cannot imagine everyday life;)), Ashton Kutcher, George Clooney, Jude Law. Fotoshootings would naturally take hours with them 😀

How does FeelOXY works? How do you feel?

FeelOXY should start working in ca. 20 seconds. The problem is, because the gas is odorless and tasteless people do not have a feeling that they absorb something. If it were a liquid, it is sufficient to have this feeling they drink something and thus have effect (eg. In coffee). When people inhale the oxygen they expect to be completely full of energy. First of all, is a very important single breath, breath must be really deep that oxygen reaches our lungs. Then travels through the lungs into the bloodstream and the blood is enriched with oxygen going through the body. That is why we actually feel it after few minutes. In the case that we ran out of concentration, we gain it back when oxygen enriched blood reaches our brain, in sports activities when the oxygen-filled blood and binds us together with other nutrients to energy. The fact is that after the correct breath additional oxygen should give us the concentration back, additional energy, etc. The problem is that people expect something drastic to happen in those seconds when breathed the oxygen and after a few minutes, they forget all about that, continue with physical strain and forget that this happened because of the oxygen. For those who do not believe that the inhalation of supplemental oxygen is not really a natural ‘booster’, I recommend to test it with oximeter. Notwithstanding all that, it is important how we feel. If someone is satisfied with the product, someone will use it, if not then it won’t.

Does it have any side effects?

There are no known side effects. For the average active man is advisable to inhale up to 5 deep breaths in one use to twice daily with a longer interval. At this point, I would also mention that people go to two extremes. Some believe that additional oxygen will do you nothing and some that oxygen is dangerous. Both of this is not true. For the first one I have already explained how it works and that it actually has the effect, according to another: Oxygen is a vital element of our existence. First thing, if anything happens to us is to give us oxygen, before it starts to determine what actually is. It is therefore clear that cannot be dangerous. If it was dangerous, there would not be oxygen in every ambulance. Even in an aircraft before each flight we learn, how we will be equipped with oxygen masks, if because of rare air oxygen is decreased. The fact is that it is not to exaggerate with anything. Even if for the example you eat 2 kg of chocolate at one time or half a kg of salt, it would not have a favorable consequences for us. However, it is impossible to say that amount of oxygen contained in a can is dangerous, not in small or in big one. Of course, it is necessary to take into account the recommendations I have stated about FeelOXY above.

Otherwise you are also big sports fan, what is your favorite sport?

I’m excited runner and foremost cyclist. Until this year I rode a mountain bike, I like macadam road and off-road, but this year I started to ride a road bike and I’m very excited, so I think this year I will be mostly seen on the road. Otherwise, there is no sports activity I won’t do. I love sport and I cannot imagine day without it.

Do you travel a lot? Where do you find the most energy for?

I now have a lot of energy because of my product, even more I get when I start riding to the airport. I love flying, no matter where I go. Otherwise, I like traveling, where daily I change locations. Difficult to hold a long time in one place because I get bored quite quickly. As a traveling companion I quite likely difficult, because I need constantly something to happen. Dynamic trips give me even more energy. Even more I got from my half year in France, where I was a postgraduate exchange, and all travel through most of European countries. I learned about the customs and habits of other people, but most of all travelling opened my eyes and awaken the desire to conquer countries in terms of business.

What is for you complete disconnection?

That I do not think about anything, that I’m completely unburdened. In general, at least for a moment, trying to completely disconnect on a daily basis, be absolutely without thought what I always succeed in sports activities, no matter what (mainly jogging and bike). Then I really enjoy, I am with myself and completely disconnected from everything. A similar effect is achieved even when I play the violin or visiting the nature.

If you had the opportunity to go somewhere far away and only take three things. What would you take with you?

The first answer, without thinking, would be this:

Running shoes, FeelOXY and … um third thing is already difficult to find. Very few things I really miss.

Are you sometimes tempted to go back to lawyer business?

I am particularly interested in commercial law or the contract lay, but because the current business I am keeping in touch with it. I got what I wanted from the law, if I need anything immediately I know where to look, how to make it and that’s it. Better could not be.

If you were not a lawyer, what would you be? Have you ever dreamed about what other profession?

Probably this will be funny to read, given that I do not work on ‘real’ Lawyers’ field anymore, but if I would decide again, I chose the same. As the base it is great. I am more interested in specific areas in which I always dig deep like when I started working with oxygen, I was very interested in how it is obtained, all the technical characteristics of the actual performance and production. Other things I like to talk about may be somewhat atypical for a woman, but it is primarily about aviation, automotive, etc., but I would not study neither of this. The law is general, is all around us. Ever since I started thinking seriously about what do I want to do, I always said that I want to be a business women. For this I had no idea that it can be studied, like management to me is more specialization, upgrading, rather than primary study. As a little girl I fantasize that would become the astronaut (crazy I was interested in space) or actress. Last thing I quickly abandoned when I noticed that I was embarrassed to speak in front of people.

Is oxygen the future, especially in terms of the regeneration of human bodies?

In this I am sure. The fact is that more and more people are saying that they feel poor, like sponges, they do not have energy, but nobody asks why. The fact is that as we have mentioned several times, the oxygen saturation in the blood decreases, due to various factors. Factors which reduce the amount of oxygen in the body are air pollution (which reduces the amount of oxygen in the air), smoking (which reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood), alcohol (greater quantity of alcohol reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood- main cause of ‘hangover’ is e.g. reduction of oxygen in brain cells), emotional stress (which causes release of the hormone adrenaline, the body’s defense is trying to reduce the stress hormone), harmful substances (our body is daily exposed to a large amount of harmful substances in water, food and air). Thus for the metabolism oxygen is urgently needed.

But it is of course supplemental oxygen also important regeneration of the body. Body with oxygen regenerate much faster. This can be seen especially in intensive sports activities. Maximal oxygen saturation in the blood is 100%, when we have intensive physical effort, for example sprint, a saturation falls for example to 93% up to 91%, when inhaled, supplemental oxygen oxygen saturation rises and we quickly came to its initial level we had before the physical strain, even if it slightly dropped, will not fall at exactly the same level as it was immediately after intense training. With the additional oxygen, regeneration time significantly lowers, because even if a complete regeneration is achieved entirely with oxygen, the body will itself start the regeneration of a higher level than would completely without supplemental oxygen. In the event that a saturation falls from 99% in the example 93% the body would only be needed much longer to bring about the desired level of oxygen to achieve previous level. The fact is that through major physical exertion the body does not get in the air quickly enough to get oxygen and to keep up with it produced as much energy as it consumes, so the saturation of oxygen in the body begins to fall. Therefore, supplemental oxygen for faster regeneration is really very important. This is important both for professional athletes, as well as recreational.

Do you also plan to break into foreign markets?

Absolutely. Slovenia is too small. Given that we are a manufacturer and yet there are not many providers, we have opened a whole world. We are mainly interested in European countries, Russia, China, Japan, India, USA, N. America and Australia, with which we already establish contact.

During the last few decades a man made an increasingly improvement in technology, whether in information technology or in sports equipment. No matter where, this lead us to increasingly importance of using aircrafts for travelling or setting new records. Last time we wrote an article of how important additional oxygen in for pilots and passengers of sports, ultra-light, private, business, gliders or for tandem jumps as well, but this time we are going to focus solely on gliders, aircrafts for altitude over flights and those for flying in wave. The human body is not designed to operate above the altitude of FL 100 for any length of time and the altitudes above should be considered hazardous and unhealthy territory for the unpressurized aircraft. There are many physiological effects of flight at altitude which must be understood and compensated for in order for the pilots and passengers to be safe.

Most of the oxygen we breathe in is transported by hemoglobin in the red blood cells. The ability of hemoglobin to combine with and transport oxygen is dependent upon the pressure of oxygen in the surrounding environment. If the pressure is higher it enables the hemoglobin to take up larger quantities of oxygen and if it is lower, it will result in an increasing tendency by the hemoglobin to give up oxygen. Turning to oxygen saturation in the blood, when breathing in the sea level, because of partial pressure the lungs isn’t exposed to atmospheric air. In a normal, healthy individual, sea level pressure is sufficient to cause the blood leaving the lungs to be almost totally (97%) saturated with oxygen. In the altitude of FL 100 and a little bit more it is expected to drop almost by 5% – still sufficient for nearly all usual life functions and in the altitude of FL 150 almost to 80%. Many people, if left in this rarefied air for some period, will develop mountain or altitude sickness: vertigo, nausea, weakness, hyperpnoea which is increased breathing, incoordination, slowed thinking, dimmed vision and increased heart rate.

That is the case why all pilots, especially those flying at the high altitude with the unpressurized cabin, should use additional oxygen when doing altitude over flights, gliding or flying in wave. Some safety seminars focusing on pilots are even saying that there are three points to emphasize; continuous flow of oxygen, for altitude over flights even diluter demand and pressure demand. More and more new rules about usage of oxygen are being put into force to protect pilots and passenger from negative effects. Our FeelOXY product serves as a great alternative, which will help you reduce the negative effects coming from the altitude, furthermore it will give you additional energy and power.

With nicer weather and holidays approaching, outdoors activities are getting much more important. This week we focused on trekkers and hikers and how important additional oxygen is at the altitude. But first we have to make sure we understand the difference between hikers and trekkers. They are both outdoors recreational activities but hiking means walking in beautiful natural environments on pre-charted paths called hiking trails and trekking means longer journey, undertaken on foot in areas where there are usually no means of transport available. Since the environmental impact is visible on both, however greater on trekking we must consider it when planning both, hiking or trekking.

As we already said in the previous article, the percentage of oxygen in the air does not change significantly with altitude the altitude from the earth, even on the Mount Everest, the percentage of the oxygen still comprises 21% of the air. The further away from sea level you are, the pressure of the entire atmosphere decreases so in effect, there is less air to breathe. Thus, partial pressure decreases even though the percent content of oxygen remains the same. Proportions of the gasses in the atmosphere stay the same, however one breath will deliver less oxygen to your bloodstream, hence you will feel out of breath. For comparison, at the altitude of Mount Everest, there will be approximately 33% of the oxygen that is available at sea level.

When arriving at the altitude of between 1500 and 2000 meters, the number of physiological changes occurs, which enable the body to function optimally in the low oxygen environment. The process is called acclimatization. First adjustment must be increase in the frequency and depth of breathing. Since the heart pumps the blood faster, the blood pressure rises and in a response to this the productions of red cells rises, their job is to deliver oxygen to every cell in need in the body. Without proper acclimatization there are several sicknesses that could occur, from acute mountain sickness (AMS), high altitude cerebral oedema, and high altitude pulmonary oedema, most usual symptoms are headaches, nausea, fatigue, vomiting, dizziness, disturbed sleep, etc. These symptoms differ from the altitude, gradually appear 12-24 hours after arrival at altitude and begin to decrease in severity by the third day. The number of symptoms as well as their severity, rapidity of onset, and duration varies markedly among individuals. However we recommend you additional oxygen since these sickness and symptoms can be avoided. Our FeelOXY product will provide you cells and your body with enough oxygen and it will improve oxygen saturations in the blood (that can be especially at higher altitudes 89%). Additionally it will reduce fatigue and sleepiness at the altitude where air is thinner and it will boost you with energy and power for another physical strain.

Luka Mezgec is successful Slovenian road bicycle racer, currently he is riding for Orica GreenEDGE  team. Among his best results we can find his three times winning position in stage race Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, wins in Tour of Beijing and Tour of Qinghai Lake. His wish for a professional career appeared in high school when he was often going from school to training very tired. At that time he wished that his only concern was to go to a practice and be paid for that. He said that »the path that led me to here was not difficult because I’ve always enjoyed in what I am still doing today«. The combination of training and rest is all he needs for a breakthrough to higher level.

In four years Luka switched four clubs, from KD Rog Radenska, KK Sava, Shimano Argos (later they changed names) and today he is riding for Orica GreenEdge. When we asked him about problems with changing the coach he said that » substitutions of coach practically did not exist, I always collaborated with the legend of Slovenian cycling, Bojan Ropret«. Team coaches are always flexible enough to help with advice, monitor your training; they do not interfere if you are doing everything correctly. Moreover, they have more control if the rider wants to work with his personal trainer, as Luka does. Additionally, changing clubs trade in Slovenia is not that demanding, as the region is so small and training differs only in team preparations. The more difficult it was, of course, when Luka moved to foreign country in 2013. At that time he practically joined the team where he did not know anybody and where nobody spoke Slovenian, so he had to adapt to speak English more often. After the season is finished, so in October Luka first takes a longer break from the bike, from three to four weeks, so to do any other sports or just resting and later in November he again begins with regular training. Trainings depend on the program of races, if the races are followed one by another there is usually no time for training, just for regenerative rides, if there is more time between races Luka does different workouts to stay in shape.

So far the biggest mark in his heart was left by Colorado race, due to the nature, people and atmosphere. However, Luka said it was also very challenging since it lies at high altitude and they got there too late for the necessary acclimation. There are still so many great events and races that Luka feels very fond of, whenever he wins »feelings are always beautiful, especially when the whole team works for your success, which you ultimately achieve«. He also spoke about his friends from other teams who he always likes to visit if they are staying in same hotel or whenever he has some free time. He prefers to I prefer to spend time with other Slovenians professional riders or staff members and to joke around how they are competitors now. At the end we asked him what does he has to say to young cyclists at the beginning of their career. » I advised them that to be persistent and not too “rash”. Cycling is a sport requiring a lot of work before successes. They always have to believe in themselves and that they are capable to succeed«.

These days recycling became more and more important and emphasized since it is one of the best ways for us to have a positive impact on the world and environment in which we live. The wastes we create can have big negative effect on the environment because of harmful chemicals and greenhouse gasses are released from the rubbish, therefor recycling helps to reduce pollution. Moreover, huge amounts of energy are used when making products from raw materials. Recycling requires much less energy and therefore helps to preserve natural resources. Not only for the environment, recycling benefit also to people and future generations.

Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into reusable objects to prevent waste of potentially useful materials and it is a key component of modern waste reduction. Although recycling has been a common practice throughout human history, even 400 BC because of the absence of new material they had to “recycle” broken tools and so on, in the modern time, when we produce so much waste, known as production of our day-to-day products, it became so much more important that we do so. European Environmental Agency stated that as of 2014, the European Union has about 50% of world share of the waste and recycling industries, with over 60,000 companies employing 500,000 persons, with a turnover of €24 billion. Countries have to reach recycling rates of at least 50%, while the lead countries are around 65% and the EU average is 39% as of 2013.

Our FeelOXY – pure oxygen in a can products are made of aluminium, which can be 100% recycled. After making sure that aluminium can is empty, the consumer should foil it into a recycle bin, which is later collected and taken to a treatment plant. In the treatment plant, aluminium is first sorted and then chemically and mechanically cleaned, ready for the whole process to begin. The process of recycling aluminium can involve simply re-melting the metal (at 750ºC ± 100ºC to produce molten aluminium), which is far less expensive and energy-intensive than creating new aluminium through the electrolysis of aluminium oxide. Whole process of recycling aluminium can requires only 5% of the energy used to make new aluminium product. Because it is so much easier to recycle and preserve our beautiful nature and world, recycle our FeelOXY can. We all can contribute to protect the raw materials and natural habitat for our future generations. And keep this in mind: recycling starts at home!