Scientists concluded that 30 minutes of daily exercise was as "equally effective" at losing weight as 60 minutes of training.

In fact, researchers from the University of Copenhagen found that sweating for half an hour a day actually helped men lose more weight than those who worked out for twice as long.

The study, published in the American Journal of Physiology, found those who ran, rowed or bicycled for half an hour a day lost on average eight pounds over a three month period, while men trained daily for half an hour more lost two pounds less.

While it is unclear as to why then men who exercised longer did not lose more weight, researchers suggest that it may be because the men ended up eating more or participants assigned to the 30-minute sessions may have had more energy to remain active for the rest of the day.

Researchers followed the progress of 60 Danish men considered moderately overweight but healthy and who wanted to get in "better shape" over three months.

Half of the men were assigned to the 60 minute group and the other half was assigned to the 30 minute group.

"The participants in our study trained every day for three months. All training sessions were planned to produce a light sweat, but participants were expected to increase the intensity and give it gas three times a week ," lead researcher Mads Rosenkilde said in a statement.

Researchers concluded that just "30 minutes of exercise hard enough to produce a sweat was enough to turn the tide on an unhealthy body mass index."

"Another interesting scenario is to study exercise as a form of transport. Training is fantastic for your physical and mental health. The problem is that it takes time. If we can get people to exercise along the way - to work, for example - we will have won half the battle," said Rosenkilde.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults to an hour and 15 minutes of vigorous exercise like running or playing football or two and a half hours of moderate intense aerobic activity like brisk walking.

The health agency also recommends that people should do muscle-strengthening exercises that work out all the major muscle groups twice a week.

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