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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:
Random18 · 05/04/2020 11:18

MigginsMrs so what do you to OP going out twice a day then?

That is what many on here are actively encouraging her to do.

Have you even read the thread?

SonicVersusGynaephobia · 05/04/2020 11:18

sonic since you seem to be championing people going out as many times as they see fit - how would you feel if all exercise is banned?

I'm not doing that. I'm saying that the problem is not individual people going for a run late in the evening, it's people meeting up to socialise with other people and not keeping a distance of 2 metres away.

Socialising close to others is causing the virus to spread. Going for a run on your own at night is not.

The guidelines are there to try to stop people socialising or being closer than 2 metres to people from different households, because that is what spreads the virus.

SonicVersusGynaephobia · 05/04/2020 11:20

For the OP, a walk with children is not exercise. She needs to go out once a day to get actual exercise.

Original poster
Chocolatedaim · 05/04/2020 11:20

Hearhoovesthinkzebras

I do run at night, after children are in bed, so about 7pm. But not every night, maybe twice a week.
We also have a first floor flat so doing 30minute body weight exercises is a bit antisocial but I do it in our hallway which is above the communal stairs so as to minimise the noise.

Me and DH have come up with a plan to rotate runs and walks with the children so as we are only out once a day.

I genuinely don’t want to be part of the problem, that’s why I asked. I do find all the guidance/legislation/politicians jargon confusing. I’m definitely not the brightest spark but it’s frustrating that some of the guidance is so ambiguous, and open to interpretation. (As proven by this thread!)

OP posts:
picklemewalnuts · 05/04/2020 11:21

Does anyone think it's ok to shop for essentials every two or three days, as long as you only exercise once a day? I'd save my wrath for the people shopping several times a week, to be honest.

Original poster
Chocolatedaim · 05/04/2020 11:22

And yes walking with the kids can’t be classed as exercise, we walk so slowly and stop and look at everything. It takes ages, but they are happy, so that’s great. I definitely don’t work up a sweat though!

OP posts:
Original poster
Chocolatedaim · 05/04/2020 11:23

And we don’t go to the shops several times a week, I don’t think we have been at all in four weeks!! (Two Tesco home deliveries instead)

OP posts:
Random18 · 05/04/2020 11:24

We shop twice a week.

Bread and milk, fruit and veg are the main reasons for us shopping twice a week.

Dh goes on his way home from work (so later at night when its quiet).

How is that unreasonable?

Rebootingagain · 05/04/2020 11:24

@migginsmrs. I haven’t seen any competitive quarantiners. Just people stating that the advice (which you posted yourself) is that the OP is out more than she should be, and that if people keep doing that then the lockdown will be made more strict.

Will OP going for an additional run cause that ? No

Will loads of people following some of the advice on here and following the letter of the (current) law rather than the guidance? Probably

We are all in this together, and as with everything in life the minority will mean the government need to implement stricter and more easily enforceable laws like France, Spain, Italy etc.

People won’t change though unfortunately and will then be the ones complaining when you can’t go to the shops without a permit.

EggysMom · 05/04/2020 11:26

If anybody wants to take my exercise slot, feel free Grin I have a garden so I'm only likely to leave the house on foot on a Sunday to take our son for exercise.

picklemewalnuts · 05/04/2020 11:32

Random, it isn't particularly unreasonable.

OP hasn't been out to shop at all, so she's going out less than the people shopping twice a week.

Some of the people criticising OP will have been out far more often than she has.

RollaCola84 · 05/04/2020 11:33

@CandlesBlanketsandTea You mean the Matt Hancock who went to open the Nightingale when he's blatantly still ill ?

Yeh he doesn't understand the difference between law and guidance either you can tell by how he tripped over his words when asked to explain whether sitting in the park was against the law or guidance.

RollaCola84 · 05/04/2020 11:36

@picklemewalnuts bit difficult to shop once a week if you don't have a car, a lot of storage space or a big family.

Why don't you "save your wrath" for something productive

Original poster
Chocolatedaim · 05/04/2020 11:36

Not meaning to suggest you are being unreasonable random merely pointing out that whilst I have been running and going out the house, twice a day, a couple of times a week, I haven’t been shopping so I can’t see why I am any more of the ‘problem’ than you...

OP posts:
coachman · 05/04/2020 11:40

Honestly, I think people who are going out more than once a day for exercise are taking the piss. No-one needs to exercise more than once a day. You might want to but you don't need to.

People can quote the legislation all they like but we all know that we have been asked to stay at home and exercise once a day.

It's an appalling, selfish attitude, and you're taking the piss out of NHS workers who are too busy saving lives to mess about with this nonsense.

coachman · 05/04/2020 11:41

OP, I don't specifically mean you, I mean all the people who are trying to justify why they need to go out more than once.

Parker231 · 05/04/2020 11:42

BBC need

Exercise outside the home could be banned if people ignore the lockdown rules on staying at home and social distancing, the health secretary said.
Matt Hancock told the BBC's Andrew Marr that the government would "take action" if further measures are needed to bring the coronavirus under control.
It comes after reports of groups of people gathering in parks during sunny weather this weekend.
The latest death toll in the UK reached 4,313 on Saturday.
Mr Hancock said: "If you don't want us to have to take the step to ban exercise of all forms outside of your own home, then you've got to follow the rules."
The health secretary said the vast majority were sticking to the guidelines, adding: "Let's not have a minority spoil it for everybody."

Parker231 · 05/04/2020 11:42

news not need!

Original poster
Chocolatedaim · 05/04/2020 11:42

coachman
As I said earlier on, I have appreciated everyone’s views and me and DH have made a plan so we can both get out.
It’s just intrigued me to see how some think getting out twice is ok, if once is for the kids and once for a trip to the shops...

OP posts:
JorisBonson · 05/04/2020 11:47

@coachman

Couldn't agree more.

Random18 · 05/04/2020 11:48

Chocolate on the days that DH is working he does not exercise............

We are shopping when needed only. We are not going to try and arrange home delivery as he is out anyway and others need the slot more than us.

Yes what we are doing is different as we are following the guidelines. Max 1 exercise a day and essential shopping only.

foamrolling · 05/04/2020 11:50

Chocolatedaim - it's good you've come up with a plan. I agree with previous posters that exercise is really important. It's also really important that we all try and avoid each other as much as possible. Finding a way to exercise whilst not going out too much is worth doing, it's not really good enough to just tell yourself 'well there's no law against it'. There's no law against us all going to the shop every day but if we can find away to shop less then we should.

tegucigalpa13 · 05/04/2020 11:53

There are no “rules on exercise”

There is the LAW which states that you can only leave your home with a reasonable excuse. One of the “reasonable excuses” specified in the LAW is to take exercise. It does not state WHERE, LENGTH or NUMBER of TIMES per day.

Government guidelines on interpreting the law have been mixed and muddled. Police Forces have now been told to use common sense in interpreting them. So no more Derbyshire drones. Common Sense - ie making sure you maintain social distancing - is different in the Outer Hebrides to what it would be in the centre of a MEGA city. It is actually not that hard.

Just hoping that all those policing the guidelines have themselves been observing the government guidelines on smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use exercise and obesity over the years....

Rebootingagain · 05/04/2020 11:59

Just hoping that all those policing the guidelines have themselves been observing the government guidelines on smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use exercise and obesity over the years....

Worst comparison ever. None of those things risk transmission to other people and nearly all of them generate tax income to help fund the NHS.

YgritteSnow · 05/04/2020 12:02

I don't have a husband. One of my children can't run or even walk very fast due to disability. I will still be taking my run very early in the morning as my exercise and then assisting him to take his in the afternoon.