I bought the new 5g ipod nano for myself for Christmas with the view that it would enhance my workouts. I have taken it to the gym and for a jog so far and firstly would insist that you get an arm band or holder or clip because as this thing is so tiny, you won’t be able to hold it or rest it on any equipment. I’ve got the armband because it makes me look sporty and it’s in a useful position for me to skip songs.

So far I have taken it to the gym and for a jog using only the pedometer, but it also gives you the option of inputting your weight and calculating how many calories that you have burned and the time you have done it in. This comes with the ipod automatically so if that’s all you require then you won’t need to buy anything like Nike +.

I think the ipod 5g is great, you can monitor your workout or your runs or walks by time, calories or steps, especially if you’re one of these people who don’t go anywhere without your ipod. When you sync your ipod with Nike+, these results are downloaded and you are redirected to the Nike website where your progress will be logged and you’ll get a thumbs up and a few words of encouragement. I think this is a really nice touch because after all, who doesn’t appreciate a bit of encouragement!

If you are really into your workouts then Nike + in which you buy a pack of a sensor and receiver. Be aware that the sales assistant might not be as clued up on the product as you may hope. When I went to purchase the ipod 5g, the sales assistant believed that the 5g model has a receiver in built, only the iphone 3gs and the ipod touch does. You can buy the sensor and the receiver for about £20/$30. How this works is that you put the sensor into either your specially bought Nike+ trainers or clip it to your shoes (you can buy a clip especially for this for £8/$13), plug the receiver into your ipod put the settings you want in and go.

What this pack does is record the distance and pace, time or calories from your workout. I think this is great for running and when the data is uploaded on Nike + you can have a look at what you’ve been doing, and objectively see where you could improve. As I do want to get more into running for its fitness and aesthetic benefits, any help I can get and any motivation is welcome.

On this basic level, there is virtually no difference between the pedometer and Nike + but it does allow you to calibrate the sensor to your own walking and running paces to allow for accuracy in terms of calories. You also get pre-recorded words of congratulations from sports stars such as Paula Radcliffe and Lance Armstrong. It also allows a ‘power song that you can switch to at any point at the touch of a button to spur you on for that final distance.

Nike + allows you to also buy a heart rate monitor  which is handy if the purpose of your workout is to exceed X beats per minute. Also, workouts that you can play to yourself as well as many other extra accessories that they will come up with to assist you with your goals.