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XTERRA Wetsuits

XTERRA Wetsuits strive to make your swim faster and more comfortable, and to offer you the highest performing triathlon wetsuit at the best value. XTERRA has been doing this all over the world since 2001 and confidently stand by their claim of making the world's fastest wetsuit. Their sponsored athletes have the records to back it up: An XTERRA Wetsuit, worn by one of the world's elite triathletes, holds the world record for fastest swim while wearing a wetsuit.

If you’re a triathlete or swimmer, we highly recommend XTERRA. As an Ascend affiliate, you’ll receive 60% off all XTERRA wetsuits and accessories and 55% off select XTERRA paddleboards. Take advantage of the awesome discounts! Click here to see your price reductions. Shop XTERRA and enter code: CO-ASCEND in the Club Code box.

Road ID

Road ID is a durable, rugged, athletic, fashionable line of identification gear. Currently, we offer 6 different forms of ID: the FIXX ID, the Shoe ID, the Ankle ID, the Wrist ID Sport, the Wrist ID Elite, and the Shoe Pouch ID. We provide various forms of ID to allow a person to decide where they want to wear their vital Identification. We encourage active people who participate in outdoor activities to wear ID and not take the chance of being unidentified in the event of an accident. It is far better to wear ID and never need it, than to need ID and not have it.

If you are a runner, cyclist, triathlete or just an active person (adult or child), Road ID is for you. In the event of an accident, if you can't speak for yourself, your Road ID will. It's not just a piece of gear - it's peace of mind. If you have any doubts, please read the "Testimonials" section!

No Excuses!!!

“I am busy with work.”  “The kids have activities.”  “I hit the snooze one-too-many times.”  “I’m tired.”

 Any of these sound like you when it comes to reasons why you do not fit exercise into your life??  I hear it everyday from people and it has to stop!  We are ALL busy people.  Myself included.  But exercise should be a priority in our lives.  Right up there with work, family, eating, and sleeping.  Once you get into a routine, you will find you have more energy and be able to fit more into your day.  Put exercise on your daily calendar.  Schedule it in as you would any other appointment.

Your time is valuable and there is no better time spent than making yourself a healthier person.  Take the time to making an investment in yourself.  Your work life, family, and friends will all prosper, as well.

And the next time you want to make the excuse that you are just too busy, remember that there is someone out there just as crazed as you, yet they are out there staying healthy.  You can do it, too!  What are you waiting for?  NOW is the time to get started!!!

Getting Started

Getting started on an exercise routine can feel a bit daunting; but, keep these simple tips in mind and you will be on your way to a healthy life in no time.

• See a health professional before beginning any exercise program.

• Start out slowly and build your activity gradually over a period of months.  This will help avoid soreness and injury.

• Try to accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity cardiovascular activity each day.  You can do all 30 minutes together or through short bouts of intermittent activity (e.g. 10 minutes at a time). 

• Add strength developing exercises at least twice per week.

• And above all else, have FUN!!!

Keeping it Fun

Fun is a word I like to use when exercising.  Remember when you were a kid and played tag, baseball, kick ball, rode your bike, etc.  Did you consider these activities a workout or were you just having fun?  Ok, so let’s make exercise fun again!

•  Get outside!  Now that spring is here, get out of the gym and get some fresh air.  (For those of you in California.... no excuse.)

• Make a motivating playlist for your iPod.  Some good music can go a long way.

• Participate in an exercise class you have never taken before.

• Buy some new gear and show it off.

• Get a training partner(s)... someone to talk with.  Before you know it, the workout is over!

• Vary your workouts.  Doing the same thing every day can get a bit boring.  Change it up!

• Reward yourself!

Try these tips, and before you know it, you will be looking forward to putting on your exercise shoes.

Why Should I Run?

“Why should I run?” you may ask yourself.  Well, the reasons are many.  Here are a few of them!

1) Running improves cardiovascular health.  By running, you lower your risk for a heart attack and stroke.  Your blood pressure is also lowered.

2) Slow down aging??  Ok, you will still get a year older on your birthday, however, you may be able to trick your body into believing you are younger.  Running regularly makes you less likely to experience bone and muscle loss.  The physical demands of running help the bones grow and become stronger.

3) Ah yes, the runners high.  Endorphins are released while running leading to this euphoria.  If you haven’t felt it yet, you will… give it time.  Running can aid in stress relief, as well.  While running, focus on the run and check all other baggage at the door.

All your stressors will still be there when the run is over.  However, you gave yourself an hour to put them aside.  (In my case, sometimes too many hours.)  Plus, running can be challenging and completing a run leads to a sense of accomplishment.

Job well done!

 Benefits of Running

• Cardiovascular health

• Slows down aging

• Stress relief

Goal Setting

1) Write your goals down.

2) Place them where you will see them several times a day.

3) Be specific.

4) Be realistic.

5) Make short-term goals.

6) Reward yourself for meeting short-term goals.

7) Target dates to reach both long-term and short-term goals.

8) Reassess goals monthly.

9) Why do you want to reach your goals?

10) What steps are you going to take to reach your goals?

Interval Training

WANT TO BOOST YOUR METABOLISM? THEN INTERVAL TRAINING IS FOR YOU!

What is interval training?  In its simplest form, interval training is mixing bouts of hard vigorous exercise with low intensity exercise.  The goal is to get your heart rate up, bring it back down, and then raise it up again.

It may seem like a lot work; however, putting in the extra effort will pay off.  Now, I am not suggesting that you do this every workout, but do mix it up 1-2 times a week.

Benefits of Interval Training

• Stimulates your metabolism

• Increase in calories burned, leads to faster results

• Builds endurance

• Keeps you focused and interested

• Feel great when workout is complete!

I have included a sample workout for you all to try.  There are a couple of things you must know before beginning an interval workout.

1) Proper warm up is required.  Please warm up for 10 minutes at an easy pace before starting intervals.

2) Workouts are not limited to one type of cardio.  You can do these on open road, pool, elliptical, treadmill, etc.

3 )Interval training can be performed with a heart rate monitor or on perceived exertion.  When using perceived exertion, the hard intervals should be an 8-9 and the resting intervals should be a 4-5) This is on a scale of 0-10 with 0=nothing, 10=very hard.

Interval Workout

Again, this workout can be executed while doing any type of a cardio routine.

• Warm up at comfortable pace for 10 minutes.

• After warming up, insert 7 x 1 minute at 8-9 perceived exertion.  In between each hard interval, insert 2 minutes of low intensity exercise at a perceived exertion of 4-5.

• Cool down for 10 minutes.

• Total time 40 minutes.

After session, pat yourself on the back!!

NOTE:  Do not be afraid to push yourself! You are stronger than you think.