All of these comments, and the article, are missing the point of the study. An intense 30 min is as effective as a mild 60 min.

All I have to say to this, and your extensive rant on your own blog, is wow. You really put me to shame, saying the exact same thing that I said in one sentence by expanding it into an entire post. And I quote - 

While I do understand the logic in telling women that a focusedand intense 30 minute workout is just as effective as a 60 minute workout where you take long breaks or go easy on yourself, Cosmo is telling girls that they need to cut down their workouts to lose weight.

I just said what you your entire post said in one sentence! That yes, I agree that a shorter workout can be more useful than the long one, because 30 minutes of sprints or weight training is much more effective to lose weight than a long workout where time is languished.

HOWEVER! If you return to the original article from the Cosmo website, you will find that not once do they mention the higher intensity workouts as a possible explanation for the results. No, no no. Instead, their exact words were:

How did that happen? Scientists think that the 30-minute group felt more motivated and had more energy for other types of exercise during the day. They also said that the 60-minute group probably ate more, which made them lose less weight. 

Read more: How to Lose Weight - How to Get Fit - Cosmopolitan 

If you are the average reader of Cosmo, or any magazine that gives health and fit tips, you are not going to go to the source to find what the research was actually about - they already gave you the answer! While higher intensity workouts are more effective, if you tell a girl that she will lose the same amount of weight by having 30-minute exercise sessions as having 60-minute exercise sessions, she is not going to go for 30-minutes and increase the intensity. The average girl is going to go to the gym and cut her session down to 30-minutes. It’s as simple as that. 

So I still stand by what I originally said - 

I have a lot of trouble believing that the problem with obesity, especially in women, can be solved by exercising less. I think a more adequate way to structure this blurb would be to talk about the importance of having an intense workout for the entire time you’re at the gym, or to not think that you should eat more just because you spent an hour at the gym.

It’s about challenging yourself. Not finding an easy escape route. For most people, that requires increasing their amount of exercise, whether it be intensity or time commitment, not cutting it back. 

So sorry to all of my followers who are over this topic. Moving on!

xoxo pauladanielle