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Covid

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Original poster

What are the rules re exercise??

205 replies

Chocolatedaim · 05/04/2020 08:56

Hey everyone
Just wanted to clarify are there any rules on how long it is acceptable to be outside exercising?
I live in NE London in a converted flat, no access to outside space. I have been going out for a walk with the kids, usually before 9.30. Walking for about 5k over the marshes.
Then later on in the day, about Dusk, I have been going for a 5-7k run by myself. Always observing the social distancing rules, only going out with my children or husband, or alone, never meeting anyone outside our family. But I’ve started to see things appear online that suggest you should be out for less than an hour a day. I haven’t been able to find any official guidance stating this so wanted to clarify on here? Any advice appreciated.

OP posts:

meditrina · 05/04/2020 09:02

The timings are not in the written guidance but were stated in one of the daily press conferences.

That you should be going out only once a day is however in the written guidance, so you need to choose between family walk and your own run.

screwcovid19 · 05/04/2020 09:04

Once a day. So you can either choose your family walk or your run but not both.

AhoyMrBeaver · 05/04/2020 09:05

It's once a day so you'll have to skip the walk to go running or vice versa.

If everybody was going outside twice a day for an hour or so, there'd be too many people about.

SonicVersusGynaephobia · 05/04/2020 09:06

For many fit adults, a walk with children would not be sufficient exercise.

What you are doing isn't putting anyone at risk, and the legislation allows it.

The guidance is there as a guide, but just like some dogs need out more than once a day, so do some humans.

I'd continue to do as you are.

Sosounhappy · 05/04/2020 09:07

It is hard when you have no outdoor space. People with gardens are very lucky at the moment

foamrolling · 05/04/2020 09:08

Can you take it in turns with dh to walk with the kids? Then you can still run a few times a week. That's what I'm doing.

screwcovid19 · 05/04/2020 09:10

For many fit adults, a walk with children would not be sufficient exercis

There are plenty of free exercise videos available on you tube that can be done in your home.

zippyswife · 05/04/2020 09:11

I would continue as you are. If everyone was that sensible there would be no problem. I haven’t been able to run mon-fri as dh has been crazy busy at work. Today I will run and take kids into the woods (empty woods). The run for my mental health/fitness and the walk with the kids for them. I can see no problem in this.

PlanDeRaccordement · 05/04/2020 09:11

It is supposed to be once a day to exercise and everyone gets that. But obviously children cannot exercise unsupervised so you are there with them for that on family walk. It even says exercise length of time depends on the fitness of the individual.

I think you are following the guidelines myself- you supervise children for their exercise and then you do your exercise.

Bornfreebutincovidchains · 05/04/2020 09:11

Your the conduit to your dc getting their excersise, they can't go out without you but if your dc are like mine, you won't be getting your own quota.

So you need your allowance too, I'd absolutely go for your run. The whole idea of what we are doing is to break transmission so being sensible and logical, your not risking that are you.

daisypond · 05/04/2020 09:12

There isn’t a time limit. Though I believe there is in Wales. But you shouldn’t do both walking with the kids and a run for yourself every day. One or the other.

LittleLittleLittle · 05/04/2020 09:12

OP as you are not a single parent you and your OH should swap.

So every other day you change who walks with the kids. On the day you don't go for a walk with the kids you go for a run. If you vary your run so you do intervals or a hilly run rather than a straight 5km it means you won't lose out on exercising.

ErrolTheDragon · 05/04/2020 09:12

The guidance is general - what's appropriate for most people in general. It's guidance not 'rules'.
The walk is for your kids, it's not exercise for you, and they can't go alone. The run is your exercise.

So long as you really are able to maintain good social distancing (I've no idea how many people are using the marshes ) then what your doing may well fit into what is 'reasonable'.

Sockwomble · 05/04/2020 09:15

The guidance is to not be out without reasonable excuse and to exercise once a day. If you are out for exercise more than once a day and following the guidance you would be expected to have a reasonable excuse as to why.

SonicVersusGynaephobia · 05/04/2020 09:15

There are plenty of free exercise videos available on you tube that can be done in your home.

And if going for a run at 8pm was causing potential harm to anyone else then videos could be an option instead of a run. But thankfully, it's not. So she can do both.

itshappened · 05/04/2020 09:17

We are in London with no outdoor space and I have a toddler and newborn. Usually we spend our whole time outside no matter what the weather is like, so this is proving very challenging for us. I'm currently going out for a walk with the children for a couple of hours a day to make sure the toddler has exercise and I get a chance to run around a bit. We will walk, play with a ball, run etc in the park. I have sacrificed my personal exercise allowance for this. I also usually combine this as needed with a visit to the supermarket. My husband goes for a daily run and may also take the toddler out for a late afternoon scoot if we need something from the shop, eg bread or milk. On the weekend we are generally doing these things together. We are very careful about social distancing and stay away from people as much as possible. I think it's very important that we adhere to the measures as closely as possible, but equally when you don't have outside space, it is challenging to stay in all day.

screwcovid19 · 05/04/2020 09:18

And if going for a run at 8pm was causing potential harm to anyone else then videos could be an option instead of a run. But thankfully, it's not. So she can do both

If everyone was to do the same, go out twice a day instead of once a day for exercise, it creates a lot more crowding which does cause potential harm. I'm pretty sure that's why the government has said once a day. Not once a day, unless you fancy a run too.

zafferana · 05/04/2020 09:19

Well the guidance is once per day for a walk, run or cycle ride, so strictly speaking you'd alternate one day walk with kids, next day run on your own. But if you have no outdoor space to call your own I can totally understand the necessity to do both and in your situation I'd do the same.

As you can run somewhere with no one else about I'd continue to do it, because the point of the restrictions is to limit everyone's contact with other people, but as a runner I know I can (and do) easily keep at least 2 metres between me and anyone else I encounter. I ran 6k on paths around my town yesterday and I counted 8 people I had to pass - all of whom I was able to keep plenty of distance away from - often just by crossing the road. I have a huge amount of sympathy with people living in flats with no outdoor space - particularly with DC. We all need to get out and stretch our legs every day and with no garden in which to kick a ball around or jump on a trampoline you need to get out.

Zxyzoey31 · 05/04/2020 09:19

There is no limit to once a day. Read the Regulations, they are easy to read.

daisypond · 05/04/2020 09:22

There is no limit to once a day. Read the Regulations, they are easy to read.
Perhaps you should, then.

ErrolTheDragon · 05/04/2020 09:24

If the place you exercise couldn't cope with more density of people while still maintaining proper distancing then obviously that alters what's reasonable.

One size doesn't fit all.

foamrolling · 05/04/2020 09:26

Gov.uk states very clearly - one form of exercise a day. Running every day is a bad idea anyway - I don't know any runners that would advocate that. I assume the op is therefore breaking with guidelines a few times a week? I'd try and find a way not to do that personally - if there is one.

I imagine YouTube exercises in a flat aren't going to be a great idea, unless you're on the ground floor, so I do sympathise with the op.

livingthegoodlife · 05/04/2020 09:26

I would do one day family walk next day run.

At the mo my husband and I take it in turns, one walks dig and one walks child. Then swap.

We would prefer to be together but we don't because it's difficult to keep everyone under control!

SonicVersusGynaephobia · 05/04/2020 09:29

If everyone was to do the same, go out twice a day instead of once a day for exercise, it creates a lot more crowding which does cause potential harm.

But not everyone needs to get out once a day. Some couch potatoes might not bother going out at all.

It's doing no harm OP, the legislation doesn't say once a day so you can walk your children and run yourself. Dog walkers can also go out more than once a day. Some people need it, some don't. The Guidance is just guidance.

cologne4711 · 05/04/2020 09:29

In England there are no time limits and you could go out more than once a day. I would say if you were keeping within the "spirit" of the rules and guidance, rather than the letter of the law, you'd go out once a day for up to an hour. I'm not sure about these people going on 2-4 hour bike rides, although my beef with that isn't so much the cycle ride as the fact that in most cases it's men leaving their wives to look after the kids for that length of time.

I agree running every day isn't very sensible, I've been going out every other day.

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