I’m not much of a health buff but there was a time when I went to the gym to work out every morning in my attempt to burn fat and work up a toned body. I can say that listening to music sure is a good way to keep the rhythm when doing aerobic exercises (such as running on the treadmill and climbing the stairmaster. Back then, iPods and other music players weren’t as commonplace as today, and I had to make do with the gym’s sound system blaring out some unknown tune.

Good thing for today’s gym-rats, digital music players are a dime a dozen. What’s even better is that athletic-wear companies are partnering with gadget makers for that perfect match. Take the Freestyle Fusion waterproof MP3 player we earlier wrote about. They’re partnering with Billabong for players that can be embedded onto wetsuits.

Even better, Nike has partnered with Apple to come up with the Nike+iPod (duh!) Sport Kit. And it doesn’t only play music. The iPod Nano can actually keep track of your workout performance. Via iLounge:

Consisting of a small, red and white wireless 802.11 sensor/transmitter and an all-white iPod nano receiver, the Sport Kit tracks a runner’s performance and sends data to the nano for recording and synchronization with iTunes. In order for the kit to work, the sensor must be inserted into a pocket within the shoe - one that could be improvised by a user without Nike+ shoes, but more easily achieved with them.

And you don’t only get to keep track of your workout performance, but you can also see how well you fare against other users. From Engadget:

… besides tracking your workout statistics and long-term progress, you can also compare your performance with runners much better than yourself, providing you with an incentive to either work harder or try your hand at another sport. Also worth noting is the fact that the kit will definitely not work with any iPod other than the nano, and your device must sport the latest firmware in order to recognize the adapter.

The Nike + iPod Sport kit retails for $29 and is available for purchase at the Apple Store. The kit and compatible shoes are also available at shoe retailers.

[tags]ipod nano,nike ipod sports kit,gym rats,waterproof MP3 player[/tags]

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