A Cornell University study shows that only five minutes of exercise and stretching a day can result in modest fitness gains and improved self image.

While participants did not lose weight during the study, researchers say those who exercised increased their flexibility and abdominal strength significantly.

"Our study results demonstrate that even as little as five minutes of exercise each day is enough to improve one physiologically and, more importantly, psychologically," said study co-author Toni McBride, director of Cornell University's Wellness Program.

Study results and McBride's five-minute fitness plan are included in Take 5: How You Can Benefit from Just Five Minutes of Daily Exercise and Start a Life-long Wellness Program, (Fitness Two Publications, 1995). The book, co-authored by fitness expert and spa owner Sheila T. Cluff, also contains healthful recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, compiled by Mary H. Tabbachi, associate professor of food and beverage management at Cornell's School of Hotel Administration.

Selected for the 12-week study were 25 Cornell employees who had sedentary lifestyles and had not exercised for at least a year prior to the study. The employees, who ranged in age from 21 to 55, were divided into two groups. The experimental group of 13 people was asked to perform exercises for at least five minutes every day during the 12-week test. Exercises included sit-ups and various leg and back exercises designed to increase flexibility and improve abdominal strength and endurance. The 12 individuals who were part of the control group were asked not to change their sedentary lifestyle during the 12-week test.

Both groups were tested physically and psychologically before and after the 12-week test.

The study found that individuals in the experimental group had increased their flexibility and abdominal strength dramatically. McBride said this finding is significant since greater flexibility and improved abdominal strength can help to prevent lower back pain. "The area of the chest and abdomen is the most important part of one's body from a wholistic wellness perspective," she said. "This is your body's central core. It's where your heart, lungs and other vital organs are, where our energy is channeled through. Making this area stronger and more toned will make a difference in one's feeling of being fit."

Physical changes to the exercise group were less dramatic. The average weight remained the same, 162 pounds, while the average weight of the non-exercising group actually increased two pounds.

The study also showed that exercise does improve one's attitude.

"Individuals who exercised showed marked improvements in self -esteem as it relates to their physical body," McBride said. "This often indicates that one is satisfied with his or her values and behavior and feels good about the body's physical functioning and condition."

Self approval scores for the non-exercisers in the study actually dropped, McBride noted.

"What we found most exciting about the study, and this should be most encouraging for a lot of people, is that even a small amount of exercise can have a positive impact on the human psyche," McBride said. "When you feel better physically, you feel better mentally."

Researchers hope their study results will lead more people into giving at least five minutes each day to a fitness routine.

"Time is the number one reason people give for not being able to exercise," she said. "Most people find it difficult to make time to exercise, especially women, who often are forced to juggle demands of family and work and, therefore, can't even find time for themselves.

"This study proves that even a minimal amount of exercise does have benefits," McBride noted.