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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To clarify the one hour of exercise 'rule'

426 replies

Itstheprinciple · 14/04/2020 12:19

I've seen this mentioned on so many posts and I've seen people clarify it within the post but I've not seen a specific post about it. I thought this could help people who seem confused about what is 'allowed'.

Michael Gove was asked on the Andrew Marr show what he considered to be reasonable exercise. This is his response:

"I would have thought that for most people, a walk of up to an hour, or a run of 30 minutes or a cycle ride of between that, depending on their level of fitness is appropriate."

So it is not a hard and fast rule or law. No one is standing with a stopwatch as it gets to 59 mins. It's guidance and it will vary between individuals as Mr Gove says himself.

OP posts:

Bluesheep8 · 14/04/2020 13:57

maddy68 I was saying exactly this to DP. Depending on the individual, what's to stop someone running a marathon as their 1 firm of exercise? Or cycling for miles all day long?

ErrolTheDragon · 14/04/2020 14:01

Depending on the individual, what's to stop someone running a marathon as their 1 firm of exercise? Or cycling for miles all day long?

Consideration of whether they may need rescuing if something goes wrong, if they've got any sense. Cycling orgs are recommending people don't go too far from home.

PicsInRed · 14/04/2020 14:01

Why does something have to be a law to be something people adhere to? One exercise a day for a reasonable length of time is surely quite sensible now?

Unless you have a small child who takes tiny little steps, gets rapidly tired and fed up and needs to return to the house immediately. Or you are unwell and can take only short exercise, but regularly. Etc etc. Not everyone can take a 1 hour power walk.

If everyone went out multiple times a day or for hours at a time because "it's not the law" then it would be much harder for us to avoid each other.

Law's the law. I didn't write it. 🤷‍♀️ If it was intended to be once a day, they would have written "once a day". It's been left vague quite deliberately.

I don't understand why people can't think about others who are in the same boat and do the sensible thing. It's not hard.

I don't understand why people can't think about others who are in a different boat. Not everyone has no children, or serene children and a warm marriage and a lovely private garden at their disposal. Some people have 5 "challenging" kids, in a small council flat, on the 5th floor, with health, money and family issues on top. A few short outings to run the kids out the park each day could be the difference between that family making it or not.

MamaBearLockdown · 14/04/2020 14:08

Law's the law. I didn't write it. 🤷‍♀️ If it was intended to be once a day, they would have written "once a day". It's been left vague quite deliberately.

because not everyone leaves in the middle of nowhere - or in central london. The refusal to show some common sense is what brings stricter rules that penalise everyone.

That, and the view from some people (see some posters on here) that because they can't do something, it should be banned for everybody else

Bluesheep8 · 14/04/2020 14:10

errol thank you for clarifying. I see loads of people cycling in the rural area where I am. I wonder how far they've actually cycled now....

Daftodil · 14/04/2020 14:12

I don't know why people are so bothered about how much exercise other people are getting. As long as they aren't knocking on my door asking me to go with them, what's the problem?

Running is generally a solo activity anyway, isn't it? Run until you're tired, then go home, no?

I have a toddler and we go out for a long walk every day to run off his energy and stop my head from exploding! We keep away from shops and populated places. You have to trust people to use their own judgement and hope they behave responsibly. Worrying that a neighbour has been out "too long" would get mentally exhausting pretty quickly!

bigbluebus · 14/04/2020 14:27

I had this discussion with a friend last week. I had walked over 4 miles so she assumed that i had been out for over an hour and told me I had exceeded my permitted exercise time! I had actually been out for 1hr 5 mins - so much over - but in any event she sent me a link to Gove's comments. I did point out to her that this was not a rule but guidance of what would be suitable for most people. DH and I usually go to the gym 3 times a week and we also go walking a lot anyway. For us a 1hr walk isn't much exercise (especially as we live in relatively flat area). My friend on the other hand does very little exercise so a 1 hr walk would be a lot of exercise for her.
Yesterday we did 5 miles over 90 mins on a mixture of fields and country roads - we passed 2 cyclists and no other walkers the whole time we were out. Today i did a 3 mile circuit of the village incorporating a stop at the village store. I lost count of the number of dog walkers i passed on that route.

cologne4711 · 14/04/2020 14:33

I've been more or less holding to the 30 minute guideline for running that Gove mentioned - not because I am particularly following his advice, but because around 30 minutes is enough for me when I am on my own, I get bored. I have a couple of 4 mile loops I can do which take a bit over 30 minutes.

I don't really think the time you are out matters, it's the large family groups and couples blocking the paths who make it difficult. I want to go out for a run today but don't know when to go to avoid the crowds (and I'd rather not go at 6am or 10pm).

isabellerossignol · 14/04/2020 14:41

I have been walking for around an hour or running/walking for maybe 3/4 hour (I am a runner in 'normal times' but have been ill (not corona virus related) so am back to being a beginner). I live in a rural area and for the first time in my life I have seen the police regularly driving around the area. They see me regularly and have never done anything other than give me a friendly wave, and they have been very much overstepping the mark in my local area, so I can only assume that they are not in any way concerned about people walking or running on deserted country roads.

YappityYapYap · 14/04/2020 14:46

Just follow the guidelines! It says go out ONCE a day for exercise. It doesn't say for how long, it just says to only go once. Who cares if you're used to going to the gym 3 times a week or you usually go running twice a day. I'm used to going to work, having a meal out once a week and visiting family but I'm not getting any of those things right now. It doesn't matter what you usually do or what you're used to, things have changed for now.

The people with the attitude of 'it's not the law' really are the selfish and annoying individuals that will keep us all locked up for longer. I have a 3 year old DS with autism and no speech yet I can stick to the bloody guidlines of going out once for exercise. Unless you have specific instructions from a doctor to do some sort of pyshio so you need to get out more than once a day or there's a care plan in place for a child to get out more than once a day, just do what is being asked of you. It's in the guidlines for a reason, they aren't suggesting it and pushing it for a laugh are they? It doesn't need to be the law for people to use their common sense, follow the guidelines and stop being so bloody self entitled!

littleeasterbonnet · 14/04/2020 14:51

Since when did Gove say anything of use anyway? The man's a nincompoop.

JasonPollack · 14/04/2020 14:52

The problem is when people go out several times a day it makes it harder for the rest of us to social distance as the streets are so busy. If everyone only did an hour then the streets would be quieter.

I would love to be able to go out for an hour but the streets surrounding my house are so busy I dare not risk it.

SachaStark · 14/04/2020 14:53

I didn’t realise there was a time limit, I thought the 1 hour thing was a myth? If I go for a walk, it’s a 6-10 mile minimum, otherwise what’s the point in bothering?

But then, I live very rurally, so it’s literally out of my front door, straight into the woods, and off I go.

I guess I’ll have to cut down the length for now, or do circuits round the back garden 😂

LolaLollypop · 14/04/2020 14:57

If I take my toddler for a walk we can be out for up to 2hrs. And that's just walking to the local park, her having a run around and perhaps a snack and us walking back. If I go out myself and do a run, it's 30min.

Tomorrow I need to take my newborn to the GP (5min walk away) but then I'll also go for a run later in the afternoon.

As long as you're sensible with it I think it's fine.

Zaphodsotherhead · 14/04/2020 15:03

I live rurally (in a village of less than 100 people) and I run every day for miles, usually around 5-10 for as long as it takes me. I also go out twice more to take the dog for a quick wee and a leg stretch. I'm a key worker and I'm not leaving the dog unwalked for six or seven hours while I'm on shift (dog and I live alone).

Nobody has yet complained. If they do - well, they can always go and do my shift in the supermarket if they like...

chomalungma · 14/04/2020 15:05

I didn’t realise there was a time limit, I thought the 1 hour thing was a myth

It is a myth.

Legally, you can go out exercising as long as you want to.

The guidelines are different - as has been pointed out

Hadjab · 14/04/2020 15:08

I would have thought that for most people, a walk of up to an hour, or a run of 30 minutes or a cycle ride of between that, depending on their level of fitness is appropriate''

This is his opinion, not law.

Rainycloudyday · 14/04/2020 15:11

This situation is highlighting an astounding inability to apply intelligent judgement and critical thinking amongst a vast proportion of the population it seems. Or maybe just on MN.

caperberries · 14/04/2020 15:11

The people with the attitude of 'it's not the law' really are the selfish and annoying individuals that will keep us all locked up for longer

I agree, so many people are so determined to exercise their right to be an arrogant idiot...

mencken · 14/04/2020 15:21

Gove no doubt wobbles round London on his runs - a crowded, mucky place where an hour would be quite enough.

if he lived somewhere more rural and was fitter than he could be out for longer and still not encounter more than a couple of people at a distance.

common sense. Hang on, what am I saying?

chomalungma · 14/04/2020 15:23

I agree, so many people are so determined to exercise their right to be an arrogant idiot

You can say that - and I haven't been out for more than an hour.

However - there is no law. Just guidelines. And any politician who says it's the law - and any police officer who tries to arrest you for being out for over an hour is going to be wrong.

Common sense does apply - and if you live in a quiet, rural setting, then there should be no problem with going out for more than an hour.

If you live in a crowded city, then you can see the problems.

But the law is the law. You don't have to 'exercise that right' - but there is no law to say you have to do less than an hour exercise.

MotherWol · 14/04/2020 15:26

I see loads of people cycling in the rural area where I am. I wonder how far they've actually cycled now

But does it really matter if they’ve cycled from the village five miles down the road, or if they’re doing a 40 mile loop? Just be sensible, don’t take unnecessary risks, and be sure you can fix a mechanical if your chain breaks/you get a flat tyre.

I went for a bike ride today, and saw more people walking and cycling than I saw cars - it’s great to see so many people, especially families, out on bikes.

LeopardPrintKnickers · 14/04/2020 15:36

I must admit, I understood it to be just once a day for exercise though I wasn't aware of a time limit. A friend of mine goes out for a long walk with her kids each afternoon then later on goes out for a run on her own which I always thought was breaking the rules, but maybe she's right...?

Rebootingagain · 14/04/2020 15:37

I thought all parks were shut and that you weren’t meant to stop to eat? Jeez, they have even closed all the graveyards so assume you are outside UK somewhere?

chomalungma · 14/04/2020 15:40

but maybe she's right

She's not breaking the law. Whether she's 'right' to do that is another question.

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