The University of South Florida is combining eating and exercising in the same area with the opening today of a renovated Campus Recreation Center and adjoining new Champion's Choice dining hall.
It's bound to be a popular place to meet friends and hang out, but the goal of the new $17.1 million complex is entirely academic, USF says in a news release.
"Studies show that students who are active, engaged and eat well perform better and are more likely to complete their degrees," USF says.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was scheduled for 4 p.m. at the complex, just north of the Sun Dome. The public is invited.
The rec center renovation triples the square footage of the old center and includes a high-tech cardio floor with cable television and Internet access, an indoor running track, theater-style cycling studio and new gymnasium.
Traffic is expected to rise from 2,000 to 3,000 visitors per day.
After a workout, USF says, students can walk across the lawn to Champion's Choice and dine in or take out nutritious food, including pre-workout high carb meals, low fat-high protein foods, and fresh salads and sandwiches.
Diners can even download nutritional content on one of 10 iPads in the center.
The dining hall is eco-friendly, too, with bamboo and polypropylene dinnerware and drinkware.
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