How One Busy Mom Gets Her Family Outdoors

Jocelynn grew up camping and spending time outdoors with her family, but she hadn’t tried to combine her love of nature with her fitness practice. She was more of a sprinter, focused on speed rather than distance. That changed when her sister suggested they compete in a long-distance trail race that included obstacles to overcome along the way. 

“Anything outside can be turned into a killer workout,” Tania says. That can look like running stairs at the park with her husband, teaching her 7-year-old daughter calisthenics in the front yard of their Bay Area home, or heading out to a trail behindnear her house for a head-clearing solo run.

Throughout the years, Tania has learned that training outdoors is one of the best ways to support her mental health. “When I run to the top of the hill, it makes me feel like a superhero on top of the world,'' she says. “Who doesn’t feel good after that?”  

Moving workouts outdoors has also helped Tania develop her skills and improve her performance. “I am not a runner and didn’t enjoy it much until I started running outside, but it’s way more fun and makes the time go by quicker,” she says.   

As lifelong fitness enthusiasts, Tania and her husband knew that spending time outdoors was an important element for their lives. But the variety of ways they could spend time outdoors became even more apparent to them during lockdown.“It made life during COVID a lot easier because we had the luxury of going outside and finding a trail or path to go to every day,” she says.  

For Tania’s family, walks, hikes, and workouts in the neighborhood park offer a much-needed way to get moving, have fun together, and enjoy the outdoors. Now she says, “my family appreciates the outdoors more than before and asks to go outside more” 

Tania isn’t just thinking about her own health and wellbeing these days. She and her husband want to pass on their passion for fitness and inspire their children to enjoy nature as much as they do. “It’s important for our kids to see us working out and making it a priority in life,” she says.  

Tania recommends giving kids options for different activities and incentivizing outdoor activity with a reward or special treat. That can look like getting kids excited about going on a hike by packing a picnic lunch to enjoy at the top or letting little ones choose their wheels—scooter, bike, roller skates—before tagging along with Mom and Dad on walks, runs, or bike rides. After spending an afternoon running around the park with her daughter, they’ll have dinner with the family outside by the firepit. “They’re learning to take care of their bodies while making it fun,” she says. 

In their Bay Area suburb, Tania and her family are lucky to have lots of options for outdoor recreation, from hiking to swimming to skiing. And when you’re outfitting the whole family, quality comes first. When they need new gear, like swimsuits, specialized running shoes, or ski equipment, REI Co-op is always her first stop—and has been since she was a kid. 

As a mom, Tania always likes to be prepared for any activity – especially ones that are new to her family. “Shopping for a new activity is intimidating and when I ask for help at REI their expertise makes the shopping experience so much easier.” 

REI: Better is out there.