Author: Tamara Matjašič

AERO Friedrichshafen Global show for general aviation is steadily approaching and our company is going to be a part of it with our product FeelOXY – pure oxygen in a can. It is a global show dedicated to developments in the General Aviation industry, approximately 600 exhibitors from 35 countries, 33,000 visitors and 600 journalists from all over the world are going to meet there. AERO show is going to last from 20th until 23rd of April 2016. Since we are going to be one of exhibitors, we decided to post an article about how important additional oxygen is for pilots and passengers of sports, private, ultra-light, business, gliders or for tandem jumps as well.

A lot of people when asking what is essential requirement for life will answer with oxygen, however most of them do not realize how their body uses oxygen is less than adequate when considering its importance to safe flight. As we already know that atmosphere we fly in is composed of 78% of nitrogen, 21% of oxygen and 1% of all other gasses. Even at the high altitudes, these percentages remain mostly the same, but we should all recall, the pressure exerted by air decreases as we climb. Thus, partial pressure decreases even though the percent content of oxygen remains the same. At some point the pressure is so low that oxygen can no longer be effectively forced into the bloodstream and we begin to experience symptoms of hypoxia, condition when body or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply. As a result, in an unpressurized aircraft each pilot and passenger shall use oxygen continuously when flying at the altitude around FL 120 or higher, however it is recommended to use it as well at the lower altitudes and during the flights that last longer.

In a pressurized aircrafts, usually aircrafts with more passengers, for business or private use, pilots and passengers should use additional oxygen as well, especially on longer flights or higher altitudes because in the pressurized aircrafts the pressure is the same as in the altitude of arount 8000 ft. We have to be aware that this lack of oxygen usually causes little more than a headache and a feeling of fatigue in the average healthy flier. But passengers who have an underlying breathing, heart or circulatory problem or even one they don’t yet know exists, can suffer serious medical emergencies when the oxygen level drops.

That is why we recommend using additional oxygen when flying on sports, business, private, ultra-light aircrafts, gliders and tandem jumps as well. FeelOXY will help pilots and passengers to reduce fatigue and dizziness at the altitudes above FL 100 to FL 120, where the air is thinner, increase the concentration and reduce the level of stress, for pilots improve the maintenance of control over the management of aircraft, improve oxygen saturation in the blood and last but not least, reduce the jet-lag effect.

This week we entered into the first week of April, maybe we can even say into the first of many warm weeks where we witness the awakening of nature. These first warm days are one of the best incentives possible for new running challenges. Running is one of the most human-friendly forms of exercise because it contains natural movement, which is usually neglected because of sedentary lifestyle in the modern era. It is almost impossible to list all the positive effects of running, from the raising the general level of fitness, burning calories, strengthening of the muscles and the entire body, contributing to a healthier lifestyle and so on.

But it is important for new runners and those who made a break during winter to start slowly. It is quite common when first starting to work out, new runners struggle with running and breathing. Because running is aerobic sport, we have to take into account also our aerobic capacity. Aerobic capacity is the overall ability to manifest aerobic power as long as possible during our physical activity. When we are breathing, the oxygen we breathe first travels through lungs to bloodstream directly to you muscles and these process involves respiratory, blood and cardiovascular system. This component of aerobic system is called central aerobic capacity, however later it turned to peripheral aerobic capacity. In that part or component muscle fibers extract the oxygen from the blood and combine it with stored glucose. As a result it creates ATP – Adenosine triphosphate or as biologists calls it energy currency of life, body’s primary source of energy. Even though both oxygen and glucose are required to produce ATP, oxygen is typically the body’s limiting resource in this process. When there is a lack of oxygen in our body, we enter into an anaerobic phase of exercise where lactic acid is produced and our body starts to run out of energy, additionally body’s central nervous system limits our ability to push our muscles further and continue with physical strains. As a result we get tired, our muscles became fatigue and our body is regenerating itself much more slowly.

With the advance of technology, there are new ways hot to expand our body’s access to oxygen. FeelOXY thus presents great alternative, pure oxygen in a can to increase energy supply and endurance wherever we need it. It can be used before, during and after physical activity. If before it is for energy boost, if during it is for maintaining training power and if after it is for faster recovery, thus less regeneration time. Additional oxygen is a safe and natural way to help your body produce more energy, without additives, extra calories or any side effects.

Sadik Mujkić is Slovenian rower and recipient of two Olympic medals. He won two bronze medals, first at the Summer Olympics in 1988 in Seoul in the coxless, and the other one in 1992 at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona in the coxless four. Although he already finished his professional career more than 10 years ago, he still participates in the rowing, teaching young rowers and helping them to achieve, in the near future, as much as possible.

Sadik stated that he misses his professional career, mostly because of the feeling and the atmosphere at the beginning of each race, when you finally get to the start and you feel the adrenaline through whole body and at the end the feeling how proud can you be of yourself when finishing the game and when everything is forgotten, however it is much more calm now, when he spends time with his daughter Sara in Lake Bled. Sadik said he still keeps a lot of beautiful memories in his mind and heart, he even more share some of his memories with us. First really memorable was when in 1996, Slovenian current president at the time, Milan Kučan, visited Sadik at the Summer Olympics. The second one is when in 1991 he had to skip World Cup because of the war in the grounds of Yugoslavia. Moreover, in his professional times he won several medals and prizes that he is really fond of; first two are naturally two bronze Olympic medals where each has a different story and each mean very good achievement. Additionally he is also really proud on Blovdkovo prize and being three times Slovenian athlete in team sports, which all gives you a strong and power for further work.

Although Sadik is no longer professional rower, he still watches rowing races sometimes in live or at home. In his opinion, the technique has remained the same, however boats have improved and yet there is still only one who is the best, Norik, in which Sadik and Bojan Prešeren together won Olympic medal in Seoul. Today Sadik works as coach for several years at the Rowing club Bled, thereby teaches young children aged 10 to 15 years of age paddling techniques and how to start all together. »I think that I’m pretty successful in my work because couple of guys I thought them several years ago are to this day still collecting some great medals«. He teaches them important lessons; to persist and not let themselves get confused, to pick themselves up even when thousand times on the floor and ignore and believe in yourself and your abilities. These are the lessons he learned through his whole career. At the end we had to ask him about our FeelOXY product and he gladly said that he uses FeelOXY for some time now, mostly before physical exertion, during or before the game and also in difficult, stressful moments when it makes your breathing easier.