Here's the relevant law: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/350/contents/made
Here's the relevant section of that law: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/350/regulation/6/mad...
Here's the relevant text of that section:
> to take exercise either alone or with other members of their household;
There is nothing in that law that restricts either the number of times you can do that or the amount of time you can spend doing that. There _has_ been guidance issued by various people in government and law enforcement agencies, but that is exactly what it is: guidance. According to the law, you are free to take exercise either alone or with other members of their household, and the law doesn't care how often you do that or for how long.
(Caveat: that's the "England" version of the law; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own versions; see e.g. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id?title=Health+Protection+%28... )
"one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household"
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-outbr...
Your original phrasing is incorrect hence the confusion by the other persons' comment. It would be more accurate to call it a restriction.
I guess ultimately it's up to the individual - the longer you exercise for and the greater the area you cover, I guess the higher the risk of you spreading the virus if you have it or getting it is. But I think the government are crediting people with some common sense here, e.g. if you are in the middle of nowhere and don't see another person, you can probably justify exercising for longer to yourself more easily than in a crowded city.
FWIW, I've been doing about 30 mins cycling outside most week days in London, around an hour (sometimes 90 minutes) at the weekend. Would love to go further or more times a day, but feels like we have to do our bit to help, while also staying sane, personally I feel comfortable with this level.
[1] random link from Google, https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/news/a31973975/coronavirus-u...