DUBAI // Three university students have devised a smartphone app to fight obesity.
Cenna - named after Avicenna, the Latinised name of the Muslim scholar Ibn Sina - offers fitness tips and nutritional information, and its built-in forum allows users to discuss the challenges they face.
The app, which runs on Android smartphones, also has an incentive system that gives users who meet weight-loss targets vouchers for gyms, clothes shops and even healthy restaurants.
"My problem was gaining weight," said Hassan Bello, 20, a computer science student at the University of Wollongong Dubai and one of the three developers. "We wanted to fix the lapses we each had.
"It's not always just a case of eat less and exercise more to lose weight - people also need reinforcement and motivation. It's not enough to just ask your friends."
Murtaza Waheed, 25, a third-year student of management and information systems, weighed 110 kilograms in his teens and is now a healthy 65kg, so he knows only too well the importance of motivation.
"People give up so often, so they need to be connected to other people struggling with the same things," Mr Waheed said. "For me, every time I was around my friends that weren't going through the same thing I forgot my issues and would end up back at square one."
New users are asked to spend three weeks telling the app what they are eating and what exercise they took. It then analyses that information to come up with a diet and exercise plan.
"Once we understand that, we can recommend what exercise a person ought to do and what kind of foods are best," said Ashiq Urrahman, 22, the third member of the team.
He said the social aspect sets the app apart from its competition.
"We've been focusing on the psychology of struggling to lose weight," Mr Urrahman said. "If you are able to find people in a similar position they can share that. They can also use it to compete and motivate themselves to push themselves more."
Mr Bello agreed that competition and targets help with motivation. "When you see the numbers and have a target, it helps motivate you. You need to be able to measure progress over time."
He said expert input had been vital. "Some people may see weight gain and assume it's a bad thing, not realising if it's simply muscle mass. This isn't something you can just guess or ask your friends. You need experts to guide you.
"It's the same with food; there's a big difference between bad fat and good fat."
Many of the exercises on the app can be performed at home, although the developers are in talks with a chain of gyms about becoming a fitness partner on the app.
Another Dubai company is planning to give the app to its 500 staff as a research sample.
Jes Body, a weight-loss specialist and personal trainer in Dubai, said the app sounded like a "great concept".
"Adding the social dynamic sets it apart from many other apps, and I'm sure it will be very motivating for some people as we all need support," Ms Body said.
She added that the social aspect would help those with a competitive edge.
But she warned it must be clear that information given by other users in the forum is not that of professionals.
Also, simple weight measurements on scales can be misleading. As a person trains and builds muscle mass, their weight on the scale may go up while their fat percentage falls.
"Focusing on overall weight can be misleading and could cause all sorts of psychological dramas," she said.
"What works for one person may not work for another. This could be hormonal, circumstantial, type of exercise, injury related and so on.
"I know with my own clients each person is programmed differently, even if their basic goal is the same such as fat loss."
mswan@thenational.ae
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
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Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 258hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
Price: from Dh362,500
On sale: now
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
