In this age of amazing technology, it seems silly not to embrace ways to help us work out - we've come a long way - I remember trying desperately to jog with a CD walkman - can you imagine anything more stupid then running with a music player that had to be kept flat and couldn't really be moved in order for it to work? Those runs were not the greatest - although the CD Walkman did serve as a good excuse not to do much which is always a way I get out of running.

So - in this day of technology I cannot recommend an ipod nano or shuffle - guys, ask for one for Christmas or birthday and if you don't have lots of music that you can work out to then get some!! You don't have to spend lots of money - I always find that if you have a good dig on itunes then you can find compilation albums dirt cheap - you just have to shop around on the internet. In terms of shops, well HMV had a £2 and £3 sale last week - and a dig around the bargain bins would certainly help you find something that can give you a spring in your step.

The key here is finding something that works for you. I used to just throw a load of dance tunes onto Shuffle but I have more recently found that making playlists for different activities really works! This was at the suggestion of my trainer - and he was right - hip hop for cross trainer, heavy beats for running and belters for weights. Helps me concentrate the mind and means I can be in a zone in the gym. And hey, if you like someone else's music - ask to borrow it - it can't hurt!

On a more impressive note one of my trainers in the gym showed my a Nike Ipod collaboration that tracks your running and your work outs. For me, a slow runner with little desire to run, it is at least good to know how far I am attempting to run and how slowly I am doing it...

Hey it's Christmas soon and if you feel your workouts need a bit of a boost or a bit more fun injected then either of these will make an excellent suggestion to a loved one!!!

Happy Monday everyone!!