"The great thing about exercising using an MP3 player is that if I don't feel the motivation to really work out, a great song will really give me the energy to just do that extra mile," says Margaret Bristol, an MP3 tester for Good Housekeeping.

A lot of people agree. But which MP3 players are the best for a workout? "We tested flash-based MP3 players because those are the ones you want to use if you are going to be working out," says Stacy Genovese, Engineering Director, Good Housekeeping Institute.

"We tested them for ease of use, size and weight. But then we also did some abusive testing. We dropped them and put them in a rain tester. And then we had a tester go on a treadmill and actually walk while testing each of these players. We found that you can get a great player without spending a lot of money."

The Apple iPod Nano came out on top, scoring especially well for durability and performance. "It's small, it's lightweight, and it has a big LCD screen that is very, very clear. We tested the two gigabyte version, and this player was the best in our test with the fastest download time.

"Our second place winner was the Samsung MP3 player. The great feature about this is that it has an FM receiver in it."

The Creative Zen V was the Good Housekeeping Institute's pick if you want lots of features at a great price. "It's a great basic MP3 player for under $100 with great features like the voice recorder," says Genovese. "Also, when our tester was on the treadmill with it, she was able to pick which song she wanted to listen to without looking at the player in just under six minutes."

A final note: The Apple iPod Nana that did the best in the Good Housekeeping tests holds 500 songs. You can get one that holds 2,000 songs and has eight gigabytes, but it costs about $240. That's about 50 percent more.

To learn more, check out the April issue of Good Housekeeping or visit www.goodhousekeeping.com.