"The good thing is that unlike when I was working in restaurant kitchens, I can now chat with customers, and they are always giving me feedback on what the food is like."

A new gym-cum-restaurant, Mode-L, opened in the Wangjing area of Beijing in May, and its owner, Li Wen, says it is the first of its kind in the capital.

Li, who used to play soccer professionally, became an habitue of gyms after he retired eight years ago.

He started designing his own gym last year and decided that it must include an area for healthy eating.

"Like a washing machine or a restaurant, a gym should have all the features that I want as a customer," he says.

Mode-L recruited Brandon Trowbridge, an American chef who is an expert on vegan cuisine to design the menu - but which includes meat dishes for those who feel they need more protein.

All the meats are cooked and packaged in the central kitchen and delivered to the restaurant each day, so the restaurant's kitchen directly handles only vegan ingredients.

Li says it is more like running a community that brings all his members together to get fit and eat healthily, and organizing outdoor events for them such as skiing or surfing.

"This is not just about eating a bit of salad from the fridge. It's a new lifestyle in which you can have a proper meal or a cup of coffee after exercise."