Here’s a little something for you gym-rats and workout-a-holics out there. Remember when going to the gym was such a drag because of the tacky music? Well, I do. And that’s because the last time I went to the gym, portable digital music players were not as commonplace as today (yes, it was that long ago). Fortunately, these days, you can just strap an iPod or any other player onto your shoulder or hang one from your neck while running the treadmill or doing weights, or even when your outside jogging.

But that’s not as cool as what some athletic gear manufacturers are doing–they’re teaming up with the gadget makers for that ultimate workout+entertainment gear. The Nike+iPod sport kit is one such example. The kit lets you use your iPod Nano (for now the only supported device) to track your workout performance and even upload your data to the Web so you can see how you fare against other people.

A preview from iLounge:

Designed to work only with the iPod nano - at least for now - the Sport Kit consists of a small red and white wireless 2.4 GHz sensor/transmitter, and an all-white iPod nano receiver, which together track and store data on a runner’s or walker’s performance for later synchronization with iTunes. In order for the Kit to work as intended by Apple and Nike, the sensor must be inserted into a pocket within any Nike+-branded shoe, a requirement that can be worked around by a user with non-Nike+ footwear, but is more easily satisfied with them.

Some people are apparently not too happy with the fact that the kit is designed for use only with a selected set of Nike apparel (which seem difficult to find these days, too). Here’s a good workaround from Podophile (via Lifehacker).

So whether you prefer to splurge or stay cheap, keeping fit and healthy should definitely be more exciting (or at least boring) with some music.