The Checkup: Why You Should Only Work Out for 20 Minutes Today

• I knew all that high-intensity-interval-training business was on to something. New research out of Denmark found that exercise intensity makes a bigger difference in overall health than exercise duration. The study looked at the impact of exercise on metabolic syndrome, the name given to a constellation of health problems (often associated with obesity) that includes high blood pressure, high levels of blood glucose, large waistlines and the like. In the study, researchers followed over 10,000 people between the ages of 21 and 98 for a decade; some had metabolic syndrome at the outset, and some developed it within the study time frame. You can read about the details over on the Huffington Post, but here’s the key finding: At the study’s conclusion, researchers found those who exercised by walking briskly or jogging for shorter periods of time were able to lower their risk for the condition by as much as 40 percent. But those who exercised by walking leisurely for an hour everyday weren’t so lucky—they didn’t make a dent in their metabolic-syndrome risk. The takeaway? Intensity matters—likely more than duration or volume. So if you only have 20 minutes to fit in a workout, you can really make it count. (Want help getting started? Check out our challenging BeWOW workouts for ideas.)

• Oooh, man—the plot in the NYC vs. Big Soda saga has officially thickened: Soda makers, restauranteurs and other businesses sued on Friday in a move to block city’s plan to restrict soda size to less than 16 ounces. The Associated Press has more.

• Gah! The peanut-butter recall has expanded again—this time to raw and roasted peanuts linked to a New Mexico producer. More from Reuters.