Facial Exercise Central

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facial exercises

Top 3 Facial Exercise Myths, Debunked

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facial exercise

Facial exercise myths may be confusing. There are a lot of differing opinions on the subject and it may be difficult to decipher the pros from the cons.

The practice of using facial exercise has been around for ages. You most likely have heard that facial exercise does nothing to improve the appearance of the skin.

On the contrary, you may also have heard that facial exercise is the only method to combat the signs of aging, such as fine lines and wrinkles.

While keeping is in mind, let’s take a closer look at debunking several popular facial exercise myths:

Myth 1 : You Can’t Improve Your Skin By Doing Facial Exercise

This study reveals that a facial exercise routine was performed for thirty minutes, every other day, for a duration of twenty weeks. This study group produced favorable results. The participants noticed a marked improvement in 18 out of 21 facial features.

The skin started to regain the appearance of fullness, where there had been loss of muscle mass, due to age. The improvements were mostly noticed in the bottom half of the facial area.

The most important point to keep in mind that consistency is key and you won’t see results right away. It takes time to see the changes in your skin. Just keep at it and don’t give up. You will eventually see an improvement.

Check out this article for more details on facial exercise.

Myth 2: It Is Hard To Do Facial Exercise

Facial exercises are not hard to do but they may require some practice, until you get used to doing them.

This article states that once you become familiar with your routine, it is best to let gravity take over.

It is recommended to do the exercises while laying down. This will help pull the muscles back, instead of down, if you are sitting or standing.

Myth 3: Skin Care Products Work Better Than Facial Exercising

A solid skin care regimen is crucial to warding off signs of aging. Using products by themselves, is not going to be as effective, if you don’t combine it with facial exercises.

The best way to integrate these two anti-aging methods, is to apply all of your serums, creams and moisturizers, while you run through your facial exercises.

Your skin will absorb the products and the blood flow will be increased, due to the exercises.

Some products, such as your moisturizer, may have enough “slip” to glide over the skin. If this is the case, then try performing your exercise routine along with the product.

Be mindful not to put too much drag on the skin when doing the motions. Doing so can be damaging to the skin.

Conclusion

In addition to using facial exercises to battle the signs of aging, taking care of your body as a whole will also improve the appearance of your skin.

Your body needs to be fully hydrated at all times to have a natural radiance. It is best to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water every day. Your skin will plump up, which will in turn smooth out any fine lines and wrinkles.

Staying hydrated also decreases bloating, because it removes toxins from the body. It will also help to decrease dark circles and eye bags, as well.

Always protect your skin from the damaging rays of the sun. Wear a sunscreen of at least 30 SPF. This will help prevent the ultra violet rays from penetrating the skin and causing premature aging.

For further reading, check out: 6 Super Foods For Skin Radiating Benefits and 7 Ways You Are Causing Skin Damage.

Image: Flickr

The Best Anti Aging Facial Exercises You Can Do At Home

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anti aging

Anti aging facial exercises are an excellent way to create a more youthful appearance.

These exercises are are very simple to do and require little time. Anti aging facial exercises don’t require any equipment, which makes them even more convenient and cost effective, as well.

As we age, the fat between our skin and facial muscles becomes thinner. Once that happens, sagging and drooping begins to occur, making us look older.

A recent study by Northwestern Medicine discovered that facial exercises will strengthen the muscles in the face. When this happens, the fullness from our younger years is restored. This will create the younger appearance we all want to keep.

Let’s take a look at how you can shed a few years from your appearance, with just a few simple moves:

Recommended Anti Aging Exercises

Cheek Push-Up Exercise

This article recommends the following popular anti aging facial exercise, which will help bring fullness to the cheeks.

Step One: Smile as wide as you can.

Step Two: Position your lips into a long “O” shape.

Step Three: Move your top lip over your teeth.

Step Four: Give a big smile and place your index fingers on top of your cheek muscles, just under the eyes.

Step Five: Relax the muscles in your cheeks.

Step Six: Smile once again with your mouth closed and lift the corners of the mouth as high as you can.

Repeat this movement ten times. On the last repetition, hold the position for twenty seconds, while raising your cheek muscles as high as you can.

Cheek Sculpt Exercise

This exercise is similar to a massage motion used by estheticians, while performing a facial treatment.

Step One: With your lips tightly pressed together, smile as wide as you can. Be mindful not to show any teeth during this motion.

Step Two: Position your index fingers at each corner of your lips. Gently press and slide your fingers across the cheek muscle in an upward motion. Hold this position for twenty seconds.

Repeat this exercise three times.

Eyebrow Lift Exercise

As we age, our eyebrows will start to sag and droop. The following exercise will help reverse and combat further sagging if performed on a daily basis.

Step One: Lift your right hand over the top of your head.

Step Two: Press your ring finger on the outer corner of your left eyebrow and lift the skin towards your temple.

Step Three: While doing the above motion, stretch your neck towards your right shoulder. Hold this position for ten seconds and repeat on opposite side.

Conclusion

If you get yourself on a schedule to do the above anti aging facial exercises, it should easily become a habit. You won’t have to think about trying to squeeze it in.

Pick a time when you have a few minutes in the evening while you are watching television or removing your makeup for the night. You may find it more convenient to do them in the morning before you start your day.

In addition to regular facial exercises, eating a healthy diet and staying hydrated are also very important.

Be sure to always protect your skin from the sun’s ultra violet rays, by using a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 50. Wear sunglasses to protect the delicate skin around the eyes.

The most important thing is consistency. Within no time, you should start to see results. Keep it up and you will have the young, firm skin that all of your friends will admire.

For further reading, check out: What Causes Crow’s Feet And How To Minimize Them and How To Know If Your Facial Exercises Are Working.

Image: Flickr

The Myths Behind Facial Exercising

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facial exercising

The growing popularity of facial exercising, has had its fair share of myths to go along with it.

First and foremost, you may be wondering what facial exercising actually is. To break it down simply, it is repetitive movements that target specific areas of the face and neck, to tone and tighten muscles, and smooth fine lines and wrinkles.

You may have found some naysayers that don’t believe in the process of facial exercising. Myths have been circulating on how it is not effective. Determine for yourself whether it is for you, by reading the list of myths below.

Let’s take a look at several myths that surround the topic of facial exercising:

Myth 1: Plastic surgery is the only way to tighten skin and make it look younger.

Plastic surgery is not only dangerous, but it is also extremely painful. You are putting yourself at risk of infection and worst case scenario, death, by subjecting yourself to unnecessary plastic surgery.

Even if you remove sagging skin around the neck or get a facelift, gravity will still take its toll. The skin will slowly start becoming looser again and the surgery will have to be repeated, to keep the same level of tautness.

After someone has had a few of these procedures, it alters their appearance entirely and they no longer look like themselves in the end.

When done properly and regularly, facial exercise is an healthy alternative to plastic surgery. This article shows a number of helpful facial exercises that will help contour the lips, firm the skin on your neck, plump the cheeks and slim your face.

Myth 2: Skin serums, moisturizers and creams are more beneficial than facial exercising.

The fact is, you should combine facial exercising with your skin care products for the best results.

The most effective and efficient way to do this, is to perform your facial massage, when applying your skin care products. This will give you the most benefits from each method and your products will better penetrate into your skin, as well.

Myth 3: Facial exercising is difficult.

Actually, you will find that facial exercising is very easy.

This article reveals that there are about twenty points on the face, where pressure is applied with the fingertips. You will just press and hold for many of the exercises and some movements don’t include the hands at all.

The best way to start out your new routine, is to have a list of movements printed out next to you. Perform your exercises approximately for one minute on each area.

Repeat these movements daily. Before you know it, you will have them memorized and you will no longer need your cheat sheet.

Conclusion

Facial exercises must be performed daily over time to see results, you won’t notice a change overnight. But with a little determination and patience, you will start to see a difference in your appearance. Your skin will look smoother and you will look more youthful.

To achieve the maximum benefits from facial exercising, you also should take care of your skin in other ways:

  • Eat a healthy diet that is rich in green, leafy vegetables.
  • Limit your intake of sugar and processed foods.
  • Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
  • Protect your skin from the sun by wearing a sunscreen of 50 SPF or higher.
  • Use facial cleansers and other skin products that are specifically designed for your skin type.
  • Remove your makeup before going to bed at night.

For further reading, check out: How To Know If Your Facial Exercises Are Working and How To Achieve A Healthy Glow Without Getting Pregnant.

How To Know If Your Facial Exercises Are Working

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facial exercises

Doing facial exercises on a regular basis is a great way to look more youthful. All it takes is a little time and commitment and you will be on your way to firmer and less wrinkled skin.

The results of facial exercises can be subtle in the beginning stages of starting your regimen. You may not be able to notice them right off the bat, because it happens so gradually.

Let’s take a look at how to know if your facial exercises are working:

Take Pictures

Before you start your facial exercise routine, get out your phone or camera and take some pictures of your face. Get some shots that have your most unflattering angles.

Some different examples of shots would be: one from each side, eye close ups that show crow’s feet and neck photos to show sagging.

You will also want to get photos of your jawline, jowls and a closeup of your forehead that shows and wrinkles that may be present.

Make sure that you use natural lighting when taking the photos to get an exact representation of how you look.

Take the same photos every two weeks and compare the results. The lighting should be the same in each batch, so try to take the pictures at the same time every day.

Compare Images

Once you have several weeks worth of images, put them next to one another and compare the difference.

Do you see less lines on the surface of your skin? Does the texture look smoother? Is there less sagging and drooping in the jowl area?

Show your photos to family and friends and see if they notice improvements that you may have overlooked. Sometimes, we are our worst critics and need an outside influence to give us their unbiased opinion.

Record Observations

Record your observations in a notebook along with the progressive photos for each pose. Continue evaluating and photographing your progress and adding to the notebook.

Before you know it, you will have an entire series of pictures that show the improvement in your skin. You will be able to see that all of your time and effort is paying off.

Exercise Tracker

You can also use the notebook to record which exercises you are doing and how often.

It may help you to stay on task if you create an exercise tracker that you can tick off each day, after you perform each exercise. You can add new exercises to the list as needed.

How Long Will It Take To See Improvement?

An article in Good Housekeeping suggests that if you commit to a thirty minute per day routine of facial exercises, you will look a few years younger in at least five months. Considering that you don’t have to leave your home or be injected with Botox or fillers, that isn’t a bad deal.

Conclusion

Now that you have the tools you need to record your progress, it is time to start doing your facial exercises. In no time, you should start seeing the benefits and the results you are looking for.

In addition to facial exercise, be sure to take good care of your skin from the inside out.

Eat a healthy diet, rich in green leafy vegetables, drink plenty of water to hydrate your skin, wear a sunscreen daily to prevent damaging UV rays from the sun. Always moisturize your skin with a product dedicated to your skin type.

By following the above tips, you should be well on your way to looking younger and feeling more confident about the way you look.

For further reading, check out: How To Achieve A Healthy Glow Without Getting Pregnant and If You Apply Your Makeup Wrong, You Can Add Years To Your Face – Over 50.

4 Exercises You Can Do To Help Get Rid Of Necklines

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necklines

No matter how smooth your face is, if your neck has visible wrinkles or sagging skin, your age will start to show.

It is common that we lose elasticity on the skin of our neck as we get older. The skin tends to get thinner and have a crepe type appearance. This is caused by environmental factors, such as sun damage, free radicals and lack of moisture.

Strengthening the muscles in your neck by exercising, will help combat the signs of aging. It is a healthy way to tighten and smooth the skin and help get rid of necklines.

These exercises should be done at least once a day, but twice a day is ideal. Try to get in the habit of doing them in the morning and before you go to bed at night.

Let’s take a look at several key exercises that will help firm this delicate skin on your neck:

1. Tilt Back

This exercise requires you to sit down and tilt your head up towards the ceiling. After your head is in place, move your jaw forward and hold for five seconds. Repeat this motion ten times. You should be able to feel the muscles in the front of your neck getting tighter as you do this.

2. Pucker Up

This neck exercise is similar to the one above, but it targets different muscles in the neck and face.

Sit down with your back straight and point your chin upwards towards the ceiling. Slowly form your lips in a kissing motion by pouting your mouth. Hold this position for a few seconds and repeat two times.

3. Neck Stretch

You may be familiar with this exercise, because it is commonly used to relieve tension in the neck. Performing this neck stretch, will actually tone and tighten the muscles in the neck, chin and throat.

Simply place your chin on your chest and slowly rotate your head to one side, going all the way around. Repeat this motion five times, then circle around in the opposite direction five times. Not only will you be smoothing out wrinkles, you will relieve muscle tightness in your neck and shoulders as well.

4. Baby Bird

This exercise is recommended in “The Yoga Face” by Annelise Hagen, The Baby Bird movement targets sagging jowls and will help firm them up if this exercise is performed regularly.

For this exercise, tilt your head back and look upwards. Push the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth and then swallow. Next, tilt your head to either side and swallow again. Repeat this motion on the opposite side. You should repeat this motion three to four times on each side.

Conclusion

By incorporating the above exercises into your daily routine, you should start to see a visible difference in your neckline. You should also actually be able to feel the skin getting firmer and appear smoother.

In addition to exercises, be sure to use proper skin care and sunscreen and avoid overexposure to the sun. Eat a healthy diet that contains vitamins and nutrients.

You should also make a point to stay hydrated by drinking enough water. Doing so, will reduce future sagging and damage to the delicate tissue on your neck area. Skin that is hydrated is plumper, firmer and shows less signs of aging.

It only takes a few minutes a day to perform these exercises. The best part is that they are free! No need to pay for expensive plastic surgery. Just stick to your regimen and you will see improvement over time.

For further reading, check out: Anti-Wrinkle Fruits – 4 Best Fruits To Reduce Wrinkles and 4 Step Easy Skincare Routine For Busy People.

Image: Flickr

Five Facial Exercises To Reduce Laugh Lines

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laugh lines

Laugh lines are the wrinkles and fine lines that form from the corners of the mouth up to the sides of the nose. They are technically known as nasolabial folds or more commonly, “smile lines”.

These fine lines will form on the skin over time. Even younger people will begin to notice them on their face. Contrary to common belief, they are not actually caused from smiling. They appear from excess sun damage and other environmental factors, such as smoking.

Fillers can be injected into these lines to reduce the appearance, but strengthening the muscles in the face by exercise, is a safer and more cost effective option. It will not only reduce laugh lines, it will also help prevent new ones from surfacing as well.

Let’s take a look at several facial exercises that strengthen and smooth the muscles which create laugh lines:

1. Obicularis Oris Exercise

The obicularis oris muscle is the round shaped muscle of your mouth.

You can strengthen this muscle and smooth lines in the nasolabial area, by gently inserting your index fingers into each corner of your mouth. Gently pull out the corners of the mouth, no more than one quarter of an inch. Hold this pulled position for a few seconds and release.

You also want to strengthen in the opposite direction. To do this, press the corners of the mouth inwards with your index fingers, while resisting. Hold for 10-15 seconds and repeat the entire process up to 25 times.

2. Big Smile

You may not think that smiling can actually help reduce smile lines, but it can.

Smile as big as you can without opening your mouth. Hold this position for 10-15 seconds, then relax the face. Repeat this exercise up to 20 times.

3. Resistance

The muscles in the body are strengthened with resistance and the same holds true for facial muscles.

Apply resistance to your smile lines by pressing down on them with the tips of your index fingers. At the same time, smile as big as you can while opening the lips. Keep smiling for 10 seconds then release. Repeat this exercise up to 30 times for the best results.

4. Fish Face

You probably remember making this face as a child. Simply such in your cheeks like a fish and hold the position for around five seconds. Repeat three times.

5. Cheek Lift

Tightly form your lips into an “O” formation. While keeping them in that shape, try to lift the corners of your mouth into a smiling position. Hold that pose for five seconds and release. Repeat this movement five times.

Conclusion

Implementing facial exercise in your routine will definitely make a difference in the appearance of these lines. The only hard part, is to remember to actually do the exercises. Make an effort to incorporate them into your life at least three to four times a week.

You can make a habit out of doing them in the car on the way to work or maybe every morning before you apply your makeup. Bed time may work better for you, when you are taking your makeup off and applying your night moisturizer.

If you find that you are having a difficult time remembering to do these facial exercises, set a reminder on your phone. You will be alerted so you don’t forget to take care of yourself. After a short time, you will be used to incorporating these facial exercises into your life and you will just automatically do them.

For further reading on how to keep your skin looking its best, check out: The Easiest Home Recipes For Tightening Sagging Skin and 6 Facial Yoga Tricks For Younger Looking Skin.

Image: Flickr