sourceTonal

Advertised as the worlds most intelligent home gym, Tonal is a digital touchscreen that mounts on your wall and promises a full-body workout and personal training from the comfort of your living room.

Though the tech debuted more than a year ago, in August 2018, its been expanding since and generated more buzz at this years Consumer Electronics Show.

Two arm-like appendages extend from the machine which, combined with a variety of attachable hands, allow you to push, pull, and hoist up to 200 pounds worth of digital weight, which is provided via electromagnetic resistance.

The price tag, at $2,995 and up, isnt cheap, but neither is a traditional home gym, since racks and barbells can easily run hundreds of dollars.

The result is like having a full gyms worth of equipment, in one sleek, efficient package. If it sounds too good to be true, I thought so too. But after trying Tonal out for myself at the companys Manhattan showroom, I came around to believe its one of the coolest fitness tech innovations Ive seen in a while.

Heres what I liked most about Tonals high-tech equipment and programming, and why its exciting even if the cost makes it out of reach for most everyday gym-goers.

For Tonals arms to provide so much digital weight, computer chips generate an electromagnetic field and magnets allow you to push or pull against that field, making it feel like actual weight.

The multi-directional movement of those arms, combined with attachments such as handles and a barbell, allow you to incorporate that resistance into the same strength-training movement you might do at the gym, such as bench presses, curls, squats, cable pulls, and more.

For fitness enthusiasts like me, the benefits of this are obvious, since it condenses bulky traditional gym equipment like a squat rack, cable machines, and heaps of dumbbells or kettlebells into one convenient package that fits on your wall. This is particularly exciting in New York, where tiny apartments and 5th floor walkups make it tricky to haul in heavy metal gym equipment.

Its designed to be sleek, not something thats going to end up collecting dust in your basement, Ashley Hennings, director of PR and influencer marketing at Tonal, told Insider at my live demonstration.

Unlike regular weights, the digital weights can adjust in real-time based on personalized workout goals.

For example, the program has something called burnout mode, which I found especially exciting. In a traditional burnout set (also known as a drop set), you select a challenging weight for a given exercise (like a bicep curl), lift that weight until you physically cant lift any more (known as muscle failure), slightly decrease the weight, and repeat until your muscles are totally tapped out. This helps build strength and mass.

Doing this at the gym requires some space and prior planning, since you have to estimate how much and what increments of weights youll need, and line them up in advance.

With Tonals burnout mode, though, you can program the digital weight to decrease automatically as you hit muscle failure, making for a much more streamlined burnout. This saves you the time of having to collect, and then wipe down and re-rack, multiple sets of weights.

The dynamic weight mode also offers some perks for advanced lifters. For instance, chains mode mimics the variable resistance of a chain attached to your barbell or weight, making it heavier on the way up (as the chains leave the ground) and lighter on the way down (as the chains return to the ground). Again, this is all digital, so you dont need chains carpeting your apartment.

The program also has some nifty safety features built in. The spotter mode feature recognizes when youre struggling (based on your range of motion) and gradually lowers the amount of weight to prevent injury, similar to a gym spotter making sure you dont drop a barbell on your face.

Plus, all the digital weight can be clicked off at the touch of a button, built into each of the handles, barbells, and grips that attach to the machine.

Every new Tonal user starts with a strength assessment, which is then used to create a customized profile from which you can track your workouts and see your progress. The system also uses this data to recommend the amount of weight and number of reps you should do in a given exercise, based on your previous workouts, making it accessible even to beginners.

You can also scroll through Tonals library of strength and aerobic fitness programs, many of which can be personalized. These also include video tutorials of various exercises to help less experienced athletes perfect their form.

Hennings said that Tonal is specifically designed to bring strength training to people who might otherwise be too intimidated to try lifting in a traditional gym.

This is all part of one of my favorite aspects of Tonal the system is designed to help people build strength, instead of focusing on weight-loss goals. Many other high-tech fitness systems (including Mirror and Peloton) are cardio-focused, and theres often an implicit or explicit suggestion that burning fat or shedding pounds is the goal.

Instead, Tonal tracks how much youre able to lift, which is a refreshing change, especially for women like me who go to the gym to get stronger, not smaller.

All in, Tonal costs about $4,000: $2,995 for the base price plus more for smart accessories and installation. So I dont expect it to replace most peoples monthly gym membership, mine included.

However, in a competitive market where everyone seems to be releasing a fitness app or trying to re-invent the wheel, it was exciting to see a tech company with a genuine gym innovation.

In my opinion, Tonal is an awesome home gym for folks who can afford it. Ill be looking forward to what the company comes up with next, especially if its something for the rest of us.

Read more:

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I tried a $3,000 high-tech home gym, and loved its sleek design and emphasis on strength over weight loss - Business Insider

Globally, fruits are one of the most important horticulture commodities due to its organoleptic and nutritional properties. In India, the diversity of agro climatic zones ensures availability of all varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables. The country ranks second in fruits production in the world after China. As per National Horticulture Database published by National Horticulture Board, India produced about 300 million metric tonnes of fruits and vegetables during 2016-17.

However, fruits are a highly perishable commodity as they contain 80-90% water by weight. The water quickly begins to evaporate, if fruits are left without cuticle, resulting in poor product shelf life. Absence of post-harvest treatment, non-availability of modern systems for storage, infestation of microorganism and pests, and lack of processing methods are resulting in post-harvest losses of about 25-30 per cent in fruit and vegetables. In addition, there is limited availability of cold chain facilities for storage and transportation leading to lower shelf life.

Scientists at Department of Biotechnologys Mohali-based National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute have developed non-toxic and edible composite coatings based on wheat straw hemicellulosic polysaccharide (WP) and stearic acid derivatized oat bran polysaccharide (SAOP) that promise to overcome the problems.

They prepared emulsions of the composite and coated them on the surface of samples of apple, peach and banana. The coating helped to significantly reduce fruit weight loss and softening, and delay ripening. It also helped maintain sensory qualities compared to non-coated fruits. The formulation could extend the post-harvest quality of apple (Royal Delicious and Rich Red, Kinnaur) for up to or more than 30 days, peach up to 6-8 days and bananas up to 9 days without significant blackening under ambient storage. The coating technology is simple, and cost-effective. The edible coating material has potential as an alternative to commercially available animal based shellac coating in India, the scientists said.

An Indian patent has been filed on the formulation and a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) has been signed with R.G. Industries, New Delhi for commercialization of the technology.

(India Science Wire)

Twitter handle: @ndpsr

See more here:
Edible coating materials to improve shelf life of fruit crops - BusinessLine

In an effort to combat hereditary stomach cancer, it takes the entire family to help understand what it takes.

When I reached my 40s, a new issue trumped my concern about breast cancer: My oldest brother and cousin were diagnosed with stomach cancer six months apart.

My brother, Tom, started the genetic testing that found a mutation of the CDH1 gene. Everyone has this gene, but if its mutated, it means you have hereditary diffuse gastric cancer syndrome. Some of the mutations that cause this syndrome are also linked with lobular breast, prostate and colorectal cancers. I had my answer about why there were so many breast cancer cases in my family.

I faced the question of whether to have genetic testing done. By this time, I had watched Tom begin his battle against stage 3 stomach cancer. Fourteen years my senior, my big brother had always seemed indestructible in my eyes, but chemotherapy and radiation had made him weak and tired. He had experienced heartburn and lost a lot of weight before receiving his diagnosis and continued to lose weight post-surgery.

I did not want to fear stomach cancer every time I burped or lost a few pounds, so I decided to be tested and meet with the genetic counselor the rest of my family was using. Because you get your genes from your parents, I had a 50/50 chance of having the mutation that was on my mothers side. While I waited, I got increasingly nervous. My other brother and two cousins got their results back, and all were positive for the mutation. Then my results came in: positive. I was told that meant I had up to an 83% risk of getting the stomach cancer that was stealing my brother from us. What was I to do with that information? I was 41 years old with two active school-age children.

I basically had two choices. The first involved lifelong endoscopies with biopsies. This cancer does not form masses, so it is hard to see by scope. Doctors need to take a biopsy and hope it targets an area that is affected. The second choice was a total gastrectomy surgery that removes the stomach and connects the esophagus to the lower intestine.

After surgery, my doctor told me, my chance of getting stomach cancer would drop to 1% or less. This life-changing decision would affect me and my family, but after a lot of discussions that included my children, then ages 14 and 11, we decided it was the best route to take.

While this decision made sense to our family, others do not understand it. My extended family and I have discovered that when we see new doctors, we need to educate them. One cousin brings a binder with the family history to all her appointments. Within our family, some cousins with the mutation are waiting for treatment and others dont want to be tested. At this time, 10 of us have had our stomachs removed.

Once I established my new normal after recovering from my surgery, which took about a year, I was glad to have made this choice. During that year, Tom died from complications of his cancer. His doctor, not aware that he was dealing with the CDH1 mutation, had removed only the parts of the stomach that looked bad. The cancer then spread through the remaining portions of my brothers stomach, as well as his intestines and abdominal wall.

I am now seven years post-surgery and doing well.

My husband and kids have adjusted to my need to eat smaller portions six to eight times a day, and they split meals with me whenever they can. Theyve also learned to recognize when I need food. Since my surgery also removed the vagus nerve, which tells your brain that you are hungry, I forget to eat when I am busy. I also need to stay away from certain foods because they move through my intestinal tract too quickly, a situation that can change from day to day.In the near future, I need to decide whether to get a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy.

The CDH1 mutation has increased my risk of lobular breast cancer to 52%. In the meantime, I undergo annual screenings via a mammogram and MRI with contrast. Now that my youngest is 18, he can be tested. My older child has been waiting so that the two of them can be tested together, as my brothers kids were.

Although they have a 50/50 chance of having this mutation, my immediate family (siblings, nieces and nephews) includes six who have been tested and just one negative result. This record makes me nervous, but my 21-year-old told me the other day: When I saw you live a normal life after surgery, I have not been too worried about having the mutation or not. Its something that has to be done. However, if the results come back positive, she may wait a few years to see if science comes up with less invasive methods for prevention.

We just participated in our eighth annual stomach cancer walk in Minnesota. It helped raise awareness and money for grants to be given out by the patient advocacy group No Stomach for Cancer (nostomachforcancer.org). Someday, I hope, my grandchildren will not need to know about the CDH1 mutation.

JEAN JONES is a wife and mother in Minnesota. She has been married to her high school sweetheart for 24 years. She has a daughter who is a senior at North Dakota State University and a son who is a freshman at St. Ambrose University in Iowa. Both are waiting for their genetic test results. When she is not at her full-time retail job, Jones volunteers as a high school bowling team coach and crochets hats to donate each winter.

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Surviving Hereditary Stomach Cancer Involves an Effort by the Whole Family - Curetoday.com

Whether baked, mashed, fried, boiled, or steamed, potatoes are one of the most popular foods in the human diet.

Theyre rich in potassium and B vitamins, and the skin is a great source of fiber.

However, if you have diabetes, you may have heard that you should limit or avoid potatoes.

In fact, there are many misconceptions about what people with diabetes should and shouldnt eat. Many people assume that because potatoes are high in carbs, theyre off-limits if you have diabetes.

The truth is, people with diabetes can eat potatoes in many forms, but its important to understand the effect they have on blood sugar levels and the portion size thats appropriate.

This article tells you everything you need to know about potatoes and diabetes.

Like any other carb-containing food, potatoes increase blood sugar levels.

When you eat them, your body breaks down the carbs into simple sugars that move into your bloodstream. This is whats often called a spike in blood sugar levels (1).

The hormone insulin is then released into your blood to help transport the sugars into your cells so that they can be used for energy (1).

In people with diabetes, this process is not as effective. Instead of sugar moving out of the blood and into your cells, it remains in circulation, keeping blood sugar levels higher for longer.

Therefore, eating high-carb foods and/or large portions can be detrimental to people with diabetes.

In fact, poorly managed diabetes is linked to heart failure, stroke, kidney disease, nerve damage, amputation, and vision loss (2, 3, 4, 5, 6).

Therefore, its usually recommended that people with diabetes limit their digestible carb intake. This can range from a very low carb intake of 2050 grams per day to a moderate restriction of 100150 grams per day (7, 8, 9).

The exact amount varies depending on your dietary preferences and medical goals (9, 10).

Potatoes spike blood sugar levels as carbs are broken down into sugars and move into your bloodstream. In people with diabetes, the sugar isnt cleared properly, leading to higher blood sugar levels and potential health complications.

Potatoes are a high carb food. However, the carb content can vary depending on the cooking method.

Here is the carb count of 1/2 cup (7580 grams) of potatoes prepared in different ways (11):

Keep in mind that an average small potato (weighing 170 grams) contains about 30 grams of carbs and a large potato (weighing 369 grams) approximately 65 grams. Thus, you may eat more than double the number of carbs listed above in a single meal (12).

In comparison, a single piece of white bread contains about 14 grams of carbs, 1 small apple (weighing 149 grams) 20.6 grams, 1 cup (weighing 158 grams) of cooked rice 28 grams, and a 12-ounce (350-ml) can of cola 38.5 grams (13, 14, 15, 16).

The carb content of potatoes varies from 11.8 grams in 1/2 cup (75 grams) of diced raw potato to 36.5 grams in a similar serving size of french fries. However, the actual serving size of this popular root vegetable is often much larger than this.

A low GI diet can be an effective way for people with diabetes to manage blood sugar levels (17, 18, 19).

The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how much a food raises blood sugar compared with a control, such as 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of white bread (1, 11).

Foods that have a GI greater than 70 are considered high GI, which means they raise blood sugar more quickly. On the other hand, foods with a GI of less than 55 are classed low (1, 11).

In general, potatoes have a medium to high GI (20).

However, the GI alone isnt the best representation of a foods effect on blood sugar levels, as it doesnt take into account portion size or cooking method. Instead, you can use the glycemic load (GL).

This is the GI multiplied by the actual number of carbs in a portion, divided by 100. A GL of less than 10 is low, while a GL greater than 20 is considered high. Generally, a low GI diet aims to keep the daily GL under 100 (11).

Both the GI and GL can vary by potato variety and cooking method.

For example, a 1 cup (150 gram) serving of potato may be high, medium, or low GL depending on the variety (11, 20):

If you have diabetes, choosing varieties like Carisma and Nicola is a better option to slow the rise of blood sugar levels after eating potatoes.

You can check the GI and GL of different types of potatoes through this website.

The way a potato is prepared also affects the GI and GL. This is because cooking changes the structure of the starches and thus how fast theyre absorbed into your bloodstream.

In general, the longer a potato is cooked the higher the GI. Therefore, boiling or baking for long periods tends to increase the GI.

Yet, cooling potatoes after cooking can increases the amount of resistant starch, which is a less digestible form of carbs. This helps lower the GI by 2528% (21, 22).

This means that a side of potato salad may be slightly better than french fries or hot baked potatoes if you have diabetes. French fries also pack more calories and fat due to their cooking method.

Additionally, you can lower the GI and GL of a meal by leaving the skins on for extra fiber, adding lemon juice or vinegar, or eating mixed meals with protein and fats as this helps slow the digestion of carbs and the rise in blood sugar levels (23).

For example, adding 4.2 ounces (120 grams) of cheese to a 10.2 ounce (290 gram) baked potato lowers the GL from 93 to 39 (24).

Keep in mind that this much cheese also contains 42 grams of fat and will add nearly 400 calories to the meal.

As such, its still necessary to consider the overall number of carbs and the quality of the diet, not just the GI or GL. If controlling weight is one of your goals, your total calorie intake is also important.

A low GI and GL diet can be beneficial for people with diabetes. Potatoes tend to have a medium to high GI and GL, but cooled cooked potatoes, as well as varieties like Carisma and Nicola, are lower and make a better choice for people with diabetes.

Although its safe for most people with diabetes to eat potatoes, its important to consider the amount and types you consume.

Eating potatoes both increases your risk of type 2 diabetes and may have negative effects on people with existing diabetes.

One study in 70,773 people found that for every 3 servings per week of boiled, mashed, or baked potatoes, there was a 4% increase in the risk of type 2 diabetes and for french fries, the risk increased to 19% (25).

Additionally, fried potatoes and potato chips contain high amounts of unhealthy fats that may increase blood pressure, lower HDL (good) cholesterol, and lead to weight gain and obesity all of which are associated with heart disease (26, 27, 28, 29).

This is particularly dangerous for people with diabetes, who often already have an increased risk of heart disease (30).

Fried potatoes are also higher in calories, which can contribute to unwanted weight gain (27, 29, 31).

People with type 2 diabetes are often encouraged to maintain a healthy weight or lose weight to help manage blood sugar and reduce the risk of complications (32).

Therefore, french fries, potato chips, and other potato dishes that use large amounts of fats are best avoided.

If youre having trouble managing your blood sugar levels and diet, speak with a healthcare provider, dietitian, or diabetes educator.

Eating unhealthy potato foods, such as chips and french fries, increases your risk of type 2 diabetes and complications, such as heart disease and obesity.

Although you can eat potatoes if you have diabetes, you may still want to limit them or replace them with healthier options.

Look for high fiber, lower carb, and low GI and GL foods like the following (33):

Another good way to avoid large portions of high carb foods is to fill at least half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli, leafy greens, cauliflower, peppers, green beans, tomatoes, asparagus, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, and lettuce.

Lower carb replacements for potato include carrots, pumpkin, squash, parsnip, and taro. High carb but lower GI and GL options include sweet potato, legumes, and lentils.

Potatoes are a versatile and delicious vegetable that can be enjoyed by everyone, including people with diabetes.

However, because of their high carb content, you should limit portion sizes, always eat the skin, and choose low GI varieties, such as Carisma and Nicola.

In addition, its best to stick with boiling, baking, or steaming and avoid fried potatoes or potato chips, which are high in calories and unhealthy fats.

If youre struggling to make healthy choices to manage your diabetes, consult your healthcare provider, dietitian, or diabetes educator.

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Potatoes and Diabetes: Safety, Risks, and Alternatives - Healthline