Are you going out for exercise?

[TalkSenseIntoMe]

I feel stupid asking this but as the COVID rate is now up to 1 in 15 in some parts of London...are people still going out for exercise? I had planned a forest walk with my DC today but now I’m wondering if I’m being irresponsible? We know the virus doesn’t hang around in the air but the message seems so clearly focused on STAY AT HOME. Exercise is allowed, I know, but it seems at odds with the stay at home message. Maybe the new variant does hang around in the air? Oh I’m being hysterical aren’t I? Tell me to get a grip and go out please.

I don't live in London but go out for a walk every day, there are noticablely more people out walking this weekend

Ive noticed on a lot of threads that posters are commenting about ice and frozen paths, that's not the case here and its not any colder than I'd expect for this time of year so maybe that has an effect.

Is there evidence that the new variant can be easily passed on outside?

Yes not everyday but maybe 4 times a week .
Saying that went for my jog and people walking together not moving to one side when you pass . I practically had to jump in the canal earlier because a whole family in the middle of the path and not moving .
Also a group of 6 cyclists together too cycling 3 a piece .
It’s getting difficult to find quieter places to go but I wish people would be more mindful so we can all go out and exercise safely.

I would but it's too icy to go out on my bike so I'm riding on Zwift instead. If I went out I'd be riding solo so very low risk.

@Spidey66

Walking the dog every day. Apart from her needing it, I think some fresh air and exercise is necessary. Exercising indoors does not give you vitamin D.

At the moment tbh there's not much vitD to be had. I take 2-4000 IUs every day.

Yes, out everyday for a walk/run/cycle (and today, a swim in the river). I think its really important to get out as much as possible for the fresh air.

Thanks everyone. I went! The sunshine was glorious and I was so pleased to be out but I stupidly chose a route where I didn’t realise the footpath narrowed for quite a while (about ten minutes). Halfway down the path people suddenly started to appear from the other direction. I moved away and stood off the path where possible to let them pass but it was impossible to distance by two metres. Felt really stuck as I was halfway down and couldn’t go back (as they were all heading in that direction) but couldn’t go forward either as so many groups coming my way. Aaargh I can’t believe this is what our lives have become!

I’m overly anxious anyway but it had a kind of nightmarish quality about it. The kind of dream where you wake up and tell someone “I had this mad dream that there was this crazy virus and thousands of people were dying and everyone was wearing masks. I went for a walk and was surrounded by people and couldn’t get away!”

So. Walk done. Sanity...AWOL. I keep telling myself it won’t have jumped off someone and onto me. I can’t believe all this carry on has had such an impact on my ability to reason. I am a professional with two degrees and yet have lost all rational thought. Maybe that’s the scariest thing about all this.

Yep, we are going out to work on our allotment. Digging semi-frozen ground is good exercise!

We went too for long walk and felt better for it.

Will keep running and walks up and hopefully all ok

@Spidey66

Walking the dog every day. Apart from her needing it, I think some fresh air and exercise is necessary. Exercising indoors does not give you vitamin D.

You can’t get vitamin D from the sun in the UK from October to March whether you go outside or not - the sun is too low in the sky. Fresh air is definitely good but you need to get your vitamin D from a supplement.

I go out for essential shopping, and I run 5* p/week.

However I used to run 6-7* p/week so have cut that down. And, I’ve just bought a treadmill so I can run outside less.

I’m in London, zone 2. I’ve been avoiding my usual parks at peak times - they’re full of people right now, typically families taking up the entire path and badly trained young dogs (lockdown dogs). Where have all these people come from?! Today I did the Thames Path which was ok- mostly other runners and some walkers who had their wits about them. But again, I went pre-lunch as the afternoon will be peak time.

I do think about the risk but I’m very careful. Without sounding braggy I run at a fair clip so don’t hang around long enough to be in contact with anyone really...

Yes but wearing a mask at all times now (in London). My mask is n95 which is pretty good at protecting the wearer as well as everyone else.

Absofuckinglutely, I’d lose my mind if I couldn’t go out for a walk or run.

I take mine out but only places we can walk to. Luckily for us we have plenty of places including a beach in walking distance. Fresh air is important to my sanity and the kids. The youngest has SEN including ADHD and going out for a walk really helps him especially.

I went for a cycle down the canal today and it was so busy with people, it's obviously too hard to socially distance there. Everywhere else out of the valley was too snowy to cycle so I gave up and came home.

No, but that's because I'm a lazy cow, nothing to do with Covid!

Sometimes if a path gets too narrow as someone walks past I face the other way.

We are exercising daily; my kids are playing in playgrounds for about 3 hours a day- aiming for quieter times but most the time they end up playing with others.

No, because the roads and pavements where I live are iced to fuck and the gritters haven't been out. You'd be taking your life in your hands.

Otherwise, yes, I'd be schelping on out there, knapsack on my back.

I'm not and I'm pretty much not leaving the house on most days. I'm sliding further into depression so I would go for it if I were you. I'm certainly seeing the link between exercise and mental health.

We're going out for local walks, but (as we've done throughout) with massive distancing including breath holding if someone comes too close. Round here just about everyone pays attention, crosses roads etc to give loads of space.

I'm going out for the same amount of exercise as I would any other time. A run every day and a long run once a week. I also take my 4 year old out for a walk or bike ride or to the park most days.

Yes, I go out for a run every day. It's essential for my mental health as well as physical health. Anything between 3 and 20-odd miles.
I go early, on quiet routes.

Absolutely. Swimming in sea and walking dog. It was beautiful across the Downs today, albeit muddy. Very funny watching my husband slipping and sliding about. An hour off for our daughter too, she had outdoor personal training to escape us.

Mental well-being requires exercise and fresh air. It’s harder in urban areas, but I would still if I was in a lower risk category.

@eyesbiggerthanstomach

I'm not and I'm pretty much not leaving the house on most days. I'm sliding further into depression so I would go for it if I were you. I'm certainly seeing the link between exercise and mental health.

Yes, this is me too. I walked and ran on the 1st lockdown. Now I'm sick of seeing the same route. I've lost the motivation to do my on-line pilates too. My world is now my lounge and kitchen mostly.

I'm in London and parks, particularly playgrounds are insanely busy-there's absolutely no chance of distancing and it's been freezing too...
My D.C. requires heavy supervision at home and outside (receives 2:1 supervision when in school), so we have avoided parks and our local woods which seem to be prime locations for joggers (no masks and very difficult to avoid contact with)

So we are doing a few scooter / football trips in our communal trips outside at very quiet times beginning and end of the day when we can but it's very hard, really feeling lockdown in winter to be so much more brutal... I've done f/t hone school pretty much since the back end of February so will admit my own fatigue plays a big part too. As does my belief that things outside this time round are just so much riskier!
Horrible situation and our child hasn't interacted with any other children since October which is awful .

I was made redundant from my hospitality job in October and my sister is a spa manager so in lockdown for the foreseeable so we started Couch to 5k on Wednesday (I am a single parent, she is my support bubble, its allowed!) We run for half an hour from her house as mine is all up and down hills, she is round the corner from a nice flat road :o