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Working out to lose weight is often very tough, mostly because it is generally a long way to go before we see any results. But scientists say that losing weight might not be so difficult, if done in the right way. 

According to a new study, people wanting to lose weight may benefit more from shorter periods of exercise, rather than long hours of training.

The study has found that healthy and moderately overweight men lost weight faster by exercising for half an hour a day, than those doing double that time. In a time-period of three months running, cycling or rowing for 30 minutes a day helped men lose 8lb on average.

However, men who underwent training for an hour every day lost only 6lb- which is too less compared to the efforts they had put in, the American Journal of Physiology reports.

Although it is unclear as to why exactly working longer did not prove very fruitful, researchers believe that it may be because they ended up eating more. Another reason could be that people who worked out for shorter duration had more energy to stay active throughout the day. 

"An interesting scenario is to study exercise as a form of transport," researcher Mads Rosenkilde, who wants to study the benefits of combining exercise with daily commute, was quoted as saying by Mail Online.

 "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," he added.

According to the Department of Health, the recommended duration of work outs is an hour and a quarter per week of vigorous exercise - such as running or playing football - or two and a half hours of more gentle exercise, such as brisk walking.