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Even a little exercise can improve the quality of life of sedentary women, an American Heart Association report released today has found.

The study randomly assigned more than 400 women to one of four groups. Three of the groups exercised in different amounts. The fourth did not exercise.

Before and after six months of exercise, participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire that addressed eight areas pertaining to quality of life.

The group exercising the most saw the most improvement, in seven of eight categories covered by the survey. The only criterion in which no improvement was noted was pain.

But even the group that exercised least showed improvement in four of eight categories, said Angela Thompson, co-author of the study. Thompson is a research associate at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, affiliated with Louisiana State University.

The findings are important "because it's showing that women who weren't used to an exercise routine picked it up and felt better about it afterward," she said. "There's this misconception that if I've never been active before, I shouldn't start when I'm postmenopausal, and that's definitely not the case. These women show that."

Amy Berrier, an assistant director in UNCG's financial-aid office, started walking regularly in January because she was concerned about her physical health.

She was overweight, her father had died at 48 of a heart attack, her mother also had heart problems , and her uncle had undergone quintuple bypass surgery despite running marathons. Because heart disease can run in families, she knew she had reason to worry.

She believes that because of her exercise, she is better able to focus on her job and has become more patient, as well as becoming more fit.

"It's tiring, but it's a better tired; you sleep better," Berrier said. "It helps emotions and morale, and it helps you to stay focused on what you need to do when you get up the next day and feel good."

She said the exercise also appears to have improved her concentration and patience.

"It's helped me feel happier, less stressed, less worrisome," she said. "You realize you can agree to disagree with other people."

The study was released today at the American Heart Association's Conference on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism.

Contact Lex Alexander at 373-7088 or lex.alexander@news-record.com