Lauren Carlstrom, O+ Team Member |

How to Use O+ with your iPhone and FitBit

Fitness trackers and smartphone apps have become a go-to tool for elite athletes and casual fitness enthusiasts alike. These devices give users access to a variety of tools such as heart rate, oxygen consumption levels and calories burned to measure their workout's length and intensity. Many of the same athletes who use trackers are also discovering the benefits of recreational oxygen for improving athletic performance, and Oxygen Plus (O+) will help you learn how to use your iPhone or Fitbit to know when it's time to take a deep breath of O+ pure recreational oxygen.

The Effects of Oxygen on Fitness & Performance

When you're pushing through a vigorous workout, your body needs oxygen to maximize performance. Muscles use cellular respiration to break down glucose and produce ATP energy, and this process requires oxygen as its fuel source. As you work harder and longer, your body's blood oxygen saturation level (SpO₂) will eventually drop and become insufficient to create energy, leading to fatigue.

Studies have shown that using pure recreational oxygen may help your body restore SpO₂ levels and maintain performance. A recent sports exercise study found participants using supplemental oxygen while exercising on a treadmill took, on average, 39 seconds longer to reach exhaustion than those who did not (Smith et al.). This effect is particularly pronounced with high-intensity interval training (HIIT). European researchers have found runners performing intervals at 85 percent of their maximum oxygen consumption, or VO2 max, had a "significantly faster" SpO₂ recovery time when supplementing with pure oxygen (White et al.).

Deeper Breaths for Longer Performance

Using a fitness app or tracker makes it easy to know when to reach for that extra boost. Most fitness devices allow you to preset HIIT workouts (an example of how to set them up on a Fitbit can be found here). After pushing yourself hard during the activity periods, grab a few breaths of O+ during the rest periods to help your body prepare for the next push. Tracker stats such as max heart rate will also tell you when you're falling off and need more oxygen in the tank. 

Knowing your body's VO2 max will also help you make the best use of Oxygen Plus, especially if you're playing sports such as basketball or hockey where interval times can vary. Your iPhone app or Fitbit will often be able to provide an estimate of your current oxygen consumption. If this reading is significantly lower than normal, it may be time for a few deep breaths of O+. Oxygen travels through to the blood stream quickly, so it won't be long before you feel the energy you need for that final push. O+ oxygen is also helpful in speeding up recovery time, or, when you just want a good deep breathe of pure air to wash away mental fogginess. The default settings on the iWatch even reminds you when its time to breathe, which is a great time to pull out your Oxygen Plus and inhale a few deep breaths of pure recreational oxygen.

Arterial Blood Gas Test

Next time you're on a hard run, in a vigorous lifting session, on a mountain bike ride or just want to unwind, having enough O+ oxygen for your mind and muscles will help you perform better and go farther. With your fitness tracker at your side to help determine when your oxygen levels are running low, or when heart rate is high, Oxygen Plus can help give you the extra push you need to go that extra mile.

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Smith J, Romero JM, Kendrick KH. "Effect of Commercially Available Supplemental Oxygen during Aerobic Exercise," Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2015 May;47(5S)339-40

White J, Dawson B, Landers G, Croft K, Peeling P. "Effect of Supplemental Oxygen on Post-Exercise Inflammatory Response and Oxidative Stress," European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2013 Apr;113(4):1059-67