AMARILLO, TX -- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is now home to a new state-of-the-art fitness center , but it isn't necessarily a gym.
The center will actually be a health promotion research laboratory that will be used to conduct various health-related research projects.
The first study will be called, "Fitness Works for Women", and will compare three different programs to determine which one works best to help keep women active.
"Health is so important to us all, so when we're healthy we have more energy, we enjoy life more, and if we enjoy life and we're healthy we're able to get out and contribute more to our community and our families and the places that we live," said Dr Jody Wilkinson, TTUHSC Rehab Sciences Assistant Professor.
The plan is to start internally, but the goal is to eventually reach out.
"We're hoping to develop some new programs where we can actually work with businesses here in town to help them work with their employees to help increase their physical activity, their fitness and health," said Wilkinson.
About 60 Texas Tech female employees will be in the first study, and research is set to begin in mid-January.
Several thousand dollars worth of fitness equipment was donated by the Amarillo Town Club to the laboratory, and the Town Club will staff the center during its research.