It would be a terrible, terrible mistake to ban exercise outside

[Thedogshow]

Domestic violence has already increased, and whilst I know some people have been ignoring the rules the majority are abiding by them. The knock on effects for people’s mental health and the safety of women and children inside the home would be terrible.
It would be such an infringement of people’s liberty and terrible for the mental and physical health of so many people.
Imagine being stuck indoors all day with young children in a flat with no outside space.
This idea worries me more than anything else about the current crisis. I hope so much that it doesn’t happen. I feel like it’s almost like a reaction in anger because not everyone will do what they’re told: like a smack.

Also and more importantly its really unhealthy for your lungs not to exercise. This deeply concerns me.

I can't help feeling that lockdown pushes the death rate up because the lungs get underused and infection sets in.

After I had lung surgery at St Georges, I asked for recovery advice, and the only piece of advice the surgeon gave me was to walk, every day as much as possible, as it will prevent infection setting in.

I don’t think they will actually follow through with this, I think it is just being used as a wake up call to people to follow the rules. Fingers crossed I’m right!

It definitely does affect the poorest inner city people, children in particular, more than better off people or people who live in rural areas (many of whom are not wealthy, but may have a garden and more space) as a rule.
I just simply don’t agree with the idea of not being allowed outdoors. I can see no scientific need for it. For the majority of people, the risk of going out for a walk or run and catching or passing on coronavirus is minuscule.
Some of the more hysterical people on here probably spend the majority of their time indoors and alone anyway I suspect. For normal people this would be a disaster, and I don’t think would have any significant impact on the spread of the virus. It is not a justifiable measure.
And I say all this as a mother of a profoundly disabled child, and of another baby who was born prematurely and was ventilated. I understand the dangers of the virus. I do not underestimate it. I live a life where the threat to one of my children is continual, not just from coronavirus but from many other things. But we took a decision a long time ago that this would not define everything about our lives, and that we would live with the element of risk, get out and live our lives and make the most of every day. In some ways this scenario is like our every day life for everyone else.
It is critical for the safety of vulnerable people, vulnerable children, and those with mental health problems that they are able to get out and exercise. And importantly getting out for exercise has more health benefits that it carries risk of getting a respiratory virus.
We do not live in a police state. The risk of the virus to the majority of people is relatively low and does not require the sort of authoritarian measures that have never been seen in this country.

And one of the reasons that disabled people, who cannot walk, including for a example paralysed people, are at high risk of dying from chest infections is because they can’t exercise.
Aerobic exercise is crucial for lung health. Everyone should exercise every day really, and for many reasons people can’t or don’t, but it’s important to try and stay fit particularly at the moment.

We live rurally, and DD4 is an adult with ADHD and anxiety trying to manage her mental health and coping with her final year of uni work and total shift in lifestyle- I will be gutted for her if she loses her running. She’s sensible, obeys the rules and running is the highlight of her day where she sees nobody because we have fields behind us. Stupid, selfish people sunbathing have ruined this for us all.

Thedogshow great post.
Agree 100%.
While we should not underestimate the dangers of the virus, we should not underestimate the danger of preventing outdoor exercise, especially for those without a garden.
It will make it harder for people to fight and recover from the virus if they do get it, and disproportionately affect the health of the poorest and those in urban areas.

I really cannot see why this would be necessary. The risk of getting the virus in a public park is absolutely minimal. We only go for a walk or run, but I also fail to see why sunbathing or having a picnic is a dangerous activity if people keep their distance. German research is that those who caught the virus have been in very close contact with someone for a sustained period of time. Not walking past them when they went for a run.

The media is being completely sensationalist in this.

@esjee I'm glad that you don't find it hard, that must make life a lot easier.

As someone in a very small top-floor flat which is always over-heated and has noise from neighbours all day, I'm personally finding it difficult already. I already seem to have lost some health after just a month of less exercise. I've suffered with agrophobia in the past and hate the thought of it settling on me again, like it seems to be.

We wear home-made masks and go out for a fast walk in the evening when its quiet outside and it helps a lot.

I could see an unknown number of future weeks being locked completely indoors being really hard.

I'd like us to do what the French are doing.

You need to justify why you're out and it needs to be enforced.

I hate to think of the consequences for so many if exercising once a day is banned.

You only need to look on some of the threads on mn though, to see why we've come to this where people are claiming it's fine for them to have two walks a day because they don't see anyone, or their dog is used to three walks a day or they need to go for walks with their children but also need to run every day, so obviously they're exempt from the one form of exercise a day, which a lot of posters are claiming has never been said.

A great many people will claim their situation is different and more important than everyone else's situation because in their heads their needs are more important.

So what if I go to the beach? I'm not harming anyone. So what if I take a drive to that national beauty spot, I'm not harming anyone. So what if I go running when I've already been out with the children, I'm not harming anyone.

The trouble is you are harming everyone, because now we all face the prospect of not being able to go out for exercise at all and for a great many people that's going to be a disaster.

Well done!

Exactly. If you are well-off, have a big house with a garden and facilites at home you will be less affected. If you live in a small flat or bedsit, moreso. This applies to shopping too.
Those who have the money and also a car to do massive shops that will last for a months should not be so quick to pile on people in other circumstances.

I agree OP issues around abuse in the home are extremely concerning but this a matter for the police, not so much the government.

Police and social services are still dealing with these crimes but I imagine social services will be using the police for back up even more now. To gain entry for example

Yep woolly I completely agree. Homes are often poorly ventilated too and I have wondered if those living in homes with damp and mould are perhaps even more at risk (no evidence for this I’m just wondering). This could be disastrous if people can’t get out at all.

I’m pretty sure if I’d have got this a couple of years ago I would have fared much worse. I was frequently getting chest infections (after one horrific long lasting one that triggered chronic illness including M.E.) and we lived in a tiny house with no garden and lots of mould etc, storage heaters and a location that meant I had to bus everywhere not walk. Since moving my lung health has improved dramatically, I get more opportunities to walk and took up swimming (including the steam room which I think helped a lot) and gym/yoga very gently, and I take vitamin D regularly (because my depression/ADHD symptoms improved so much I even got better at remembering to take tablets 😳) and I don’t get wheezy much at all anymore. I know a lot of those things have combined to help and it’s not as simple as just getting out for a walk but I really do agree it’s vital to help people cope with the illness if they get it.

I think they should ban it, people are making a song and dance out of their “daily exercise” when they are perfectly capable of doing Joe Wicks PE or something similar. BUT only for a week and see if it helps, I also think they should close all shops for a couple of days a week and stop selling none essential items, like alcohol, cigarettes, Easter eggs!

What are 'essential items' at the supermarket then 😂 Rice, porridge and water ?

I think it risks more shopping trips to crowded spaces rather than exercising in less crowded ones

I think it risks damaging people’s health and actually being healthy particularly keeping a sensible weight helps people fight the virus

I think it will risk creating more family conflict (not just da but child abuse too)

But it seems popular with the public so I guess they will do it. Be interesting years from now if they can demonstrate it as an effective measure to prevent virus spread in a population since I am skeptical but could be proved wrong only time will tell.

Yep, the amount of people who have never exercised a day in their lives who now think it's essential to be strolling around for hours rather than doing an exercise video or similar is baffling.

And I think any move to shut food shops would encourage panic buying with masses descending on the shops..that would be a truly terrible idea!

Sadly you can't just suddenly ban everyone from drinking alcohol. There are many functioning alcoholics in this country, what sort of problems would that create if alcohol was just suddenly banned ?
Where's that poster saying that we should have the army on every main road and roundabout with fully loaded rifles 😂😂

Woollysheep, exactly. Walking is so fantastic for the lungs. And if you are able to do it, running too. There is nothing worse for your lung health than sitting down all day.
I hope that there enough sensible people in charge of this, and that they don’t make silly decisions based on photos and anecdotal of the minority who are not being sensible and careful.

*anecdotal stories

And one of the reasons that disabled people, who cannot walk, including for a example paralysed people, are at high risk of dying from chest infections is because they can’t exercise.

I didn’t realise that, that’s really interesting. I did get much worse infections in the period when my ME was at its worst. And then I’d get worse post viral fatigue on top, and so it went on. I’m so grateful I’ve been getting a lot better recently. The virus I’ve had still knocked me for six but I didn’t have breathing issues (obviously this may mean it wasn’t CV but other symptoms matched very closely) and I do wonder if DH fared even better because he has years of running behind him too, he only stopped late 2018 due to spine issues. He’s also on a massive dose of vitamin D for osteoporosis which may have helped too.

Having to walk at toddler pace isn’t exactly exercise so I’m hoping to increase the actual cardio stuff at home for all of us, even if we have already had it it’s still important

Even in this thread you have people who don't think we should cooperate. People are going around saying "It's just the media" or "just the government" or "just science" and they all know better of course.

You just can't tell some people so make the rules explicit and then deal with the offenders harshly and sensible people need not be affected.

Yes but still great to get out, even if it’s at toddler pace. Important for the toddler.
And of course great to do Joe Wicks as well, if you can manage that with the toddler.

Rich or poor, your mental health, lung health, dogs health will not matter one jot if you are dead.

I agree it stands to cause more trouble than the resolution it's seeking.

Especially as supermarkets are only allowing 1 families member as well so people can't even do the shopping to escape.

I agree the majority of people really are abiding by the rules and social distancing. But those who are being creative with it or even blatantly ignoring it are putting themselves at risk more than others I would have thought.