Lockdown - was I in the wrong?

[JigsawGirl11]

So today me and DH went out for a bike ride (I will admit straight away that we didn't ride at all before lockdown and bought bikes so we can take advantage of the daily exercise a little better)

We took a bottle of water and a little packet of 6 mini sausage rolls we had in the fridge. After around 45 mins we sat down at a bench had a drink and ate the sausage rolls, police drove past once, went about 200 yards to the next roundabout and came back and told us off.

The policeman was pretty polite and apologetic, he said that we need to move on as if his Sargent saw he would fine us on the spot.

Obviously we moved on, there's no point trying to push the boundaries and I know health and the general stay at home advice is important. Personally I am a bit put out by such an infringement of what's usually a basic human right and the common sense that it we didn't have sausage rolls we prob would have been able to have a break/drink of water whilst on the bike ride.

I hope no-one is going to jump on about scold me like a child, obviously I thought what we did was okay or we wouldn't have done it but I'm interested to hear other people's opinions.

@ohlook and the only place I've had to move out of the way for people is directly around my house on the actual road... on the moors you can see people coming from miles away so you just go down a different path to avoid them... it's honestly not advisable to leave the paths altogether tho

Op has already explained why she needs to eat during exercise.

Honestly this place is horrible at the moment.

I have to take sugary snacks with me when I exercise. I’m not a child or crazily unfit, I’m diabetic. It’s a sensible precaution in case I need them. If I feel light headed, I will sit down and check my blood sugar but will not touch any surfaces with my bare skin.

@Rollergirl11 - maybe I'm odd then and I can fully admit that I'm one of those fat lazy people that herestothecrazy ones seems to be having a sly dig at with her comment about the gym cos I'm not as fit as she may be but I know some people serious about exercise whether it's walking, running, cycling and they take trail mix or energy bars in some cases (if they're a 'proper' exerciser) in my case I like a bit of food to sustain me it's just not quite so healthy that you'd find it with the proteins bars in the gym...

I fully admit that I'm wrong about the bench, until my fitness improves ( which not expecting tremendous things due to my current situation) I'll stop and have a rest stood up when required - which to be honest has been required numerous time if I'm walking or cycling up a hill in this heat.

Thanks for the comments & opinions, particularly the less judgemental ones.

Sounds like the policeman done you a favour, it was within his authority to fine you, but he didn’t.
He obviously doesn’t agree with the rules, so you were lucky.

Or not even that he doesn’t agree with them, he might understand the need for them, but still not feel right enforcing them.

Just be grateful you didn’t get a fine, and next time don’t stop for food.

If your excercise lasts so long that you need to stop and eat during it it's no longer excercise-it's an outing.

"Are people suggesting that you can't sit on a bench without food?"

Not just suggesting, stating explicitly.

More and more benches are being taped up because people don't seem to get the idea that sitting down is not considered exercise (and those sitting on the grass, tree trunks, low walls, etc are being moved on.

Hydrate during cycling by sports drink (separate snack not required then) and do not leave your own saddle. If you need calories behind sports drink during an hour or so, then that level of exercise is probably not safe (at all, let alone during pregnancy)

I don’t see the problem honestly

Individually there is no problem. Nothing bad will happen because one couple stop to sit on a bench and eat a sausage roll or two.

However, if everyone decided to go and out find a bench or piece of grass to sit on to eat their sausage roll, then obviously that would make the whole social distancing thing impossible.

So they make a blanket rule that it is not allowed, because otherwise you will have too many people doing it.

Ffs

If you have to eat every half hour then just go for a half hour bike ride

I was really struggling to keep distance yesterday when out to go to local supermarket in London zone 2 because of the amount of people stood or sat stationary! You need to keep moving or people can’t stay away as easily. One got her comeuppance though when a bug flew up my nose and made me do a weird cough/snort hybrid as I walked past her.

I did it because I would never have thought twice about taking a snack when we go out for a walk... so it didn't cross my mind not to.

Congratulations, you must be about the only person in the entire country who's managed to forget that we're in the middle of an epidemic.

@Krisskrosskiss My point is not about you crossing paths with people. It's that we all have ways we can't go at the moment. There is literally no reason for you to be touching a stile when you don't need to because of an emergency.

Whilst I admit that i was in the wrong I am disappointed with the nastiness that some posters are displaying. Wonder whether some of you were the people posting #bekind in January....

And come on - why start a thread informing everyone you bought bikes specifically due to lockdown but also have such bad morning sickness you must eat every 30 minutes. Really? Just go for a normal walk.

we stopped asked how they were getting on (talked for a minute or 2, again at a distance) and then carried on - that'd not technically exercising for those 120 seconds.

No, it was an illegal gathering.

Just plan your exercise to be home within 30 mins. 210 mins of moderate exercise per week is adequate.

The difference is between going out for exercise and going on an excursion.

In my borough all the benches have thick orange plastic construction netting over them to stop them being used. Because they are the perfect surface for virus to transfer on. To sit on one and eat....really....🤦🏻‍♀️

What would you usually do for exercise, OP, before lockdown? Why the sudden taking up of cycling?

@JigsawGirl11 the virus lives longest on hard surfaces... so stuff like pavements benches anything metal.. all it would take is for someone to have walked past with covid and you could get it off that surface.. so just try to avoid touching hard surfaces.. if you really need to sit down to rest try and find somewhere it looks like no one else will have been and is grass etc then it lessens the risk

tbh i really don't think now is the time to be taking up long distance cycle rides as a hobby. i mean, really? you chose now to start this up?

if people weren't routinely exercising before (and i am in this group!) i don't understand why they have decided now is the time to take up running or cycling or whatever when it's been made clear we need to stay in as much as possible.

why would you stop out for a picnic knowing what's going on? we're on lockdown. i honestly don't get it.

If your excercise lasts so long that you need to stop and eat during it it's no longer excercise-it's an outing

Very succinct and simple explanation @Abbccc

If you fall off your new bikes and injure yourself, it will be people like my Brother who has worked 100 + hours in ICU over the last 7 days, who will have to deal with the outcome.

With all respect for your brother, people can and do have all sorts of accidents in the home. There is currently no guidance to avoid certain basic types of exercise as being more dangerous than others.

Where I live (not saying!) people are sitting on benches all over the place I find. In villages & small towns & odd view points. Not in groups, just one or 2 here and there and far from anyone else. It seems like brief stops but I don't actually stop & time their stay. I see zero problems with it. Sorry you had a bad experience, OP.

Maybe next time stop your bike ride rest on the bike and eat the sausage roll, I think it is to stop others thinking it's ok to go out and have a proper picnic whilst supposedly exercising

You'll not get far on here people love these rules. But I don't think you increased the risk of infection. Other than the copper interaction which wasn't necessary if you were away from everyone.

Also the police are supposed to only fine after engaging and explaining then encouraging to do the right thing. So the on the spot fine is bull.

The 'right to exercise' doesn't mean you have to exercise. It's not a 'get fit' scheme.

There's a part that people seem to keep overlooking...

People must stay at home as much as possible to reduce the spread of the virus. But you can also still go outside once a day for a walk, run, cycle. When doing this you must minimise the time you are out of your home

Minimise the time you are out of your home!!

Not 'take supplies so you can extend the time out of your house'

It's supposed to be the minimum time you really need to be out -not 'let's have a jaunt out DH'

Staying at home saves lives.

It's not complicated.

Congratulations on your pregnancy, I hope it goes smoothly & the MS fecks off soon!

The taking up of new forms of exercise during pregnancy is clearly advised against.

So OP is breaking that guidance, as well as anti-COVID guidance.

Perhaps she has private Heath insurance, as she is really quite blasé about what NHS says?