Can anyone recommend a good set of (inexpensive) headphones for use during treadmill, elliptical, walking, etc? I absolutely HATE the music in my gym, so I listen to my mp3 player, but only have the earbuds that came with it. I really need something to block out the gym's music (at least somewhat).

I am not a technophile, just want to be able to hear my MP3 while I'm on the treadmill!

Thanks!

Luanne

Luanne - I have walked along the same road! You have my sympathy about the music.

You can get something called noise cancelling headphones which block external noise. In the end, I didn't get them because (a) I want to use them outside and so I have to be able to hear a little for safety and (b) they are either earbud-style which I don't like, or huge cans. I'm using street-style headphones but the gymn music still gets through a bit (I don't want my volume to be very high). EDIT - they're Sennheiser not Sony. I bought them for work as well as the gymn.

I found this thread helpful http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71455

Good luck! Do let us know what you decide.

I just have a set of cheap ones that cover my ears and go behind - rather than over - my head. I think they were $7-$10 at our local "Target-like" store. My brain seems to filter out the gym music in favor of the closer stuff coming from the headphones, and yet I can still hear if someone speaks to me (usually DH telling me he's arrived at the gym ) What is it with gyms that they universally play such annoying stuff???

Thanks everyone for your input. Really gave me some good ideas. Silverbirch, thanks for the link.

In the process of reading the link provided by SB, I decided to join Audible.com, paid my dues, then found out my MP3 doesn't work with their service.They were really good about refunding my membership $$, and I ordered an MP3 that WILL work with theirs and other services (Napster to Go, etc.) from Amazon. Didn't realize this would be so involved!

Total cost of my original post: $63 + 9.99 = $73, and I STILL haven't bought the headphones! (but I will next week).

Glad the link was useful.

I've also joined audible (.co.uk has a free iPod so I went for that). I'm just working out exactly what spoken word stuff I like to listen to at the gymn. At the moment, I think I like a range of voices (eg discussion programmes, downloaded from the BBC podcast experiment bbc.co.uk) or dramatised stories (have been very successful with Northern Lights by Philip Pullman - but I'd already read the book). Not so successful has been the audible technology review. Can't decide whether it's because it's just one voice, because it's in American (and I have to work a lot harder at listening!) or if it's just the way the subject matter is put across.

But it's all much, much better than what's on offer from the televisions.

Enjoy!