Facial Exercises To Smooth Off The Years

It's free, it makes you look younger, and best of all - it works.

Face exercising, done daily, could tone the muscles just underneath your skin. And why not? We do sit-ups to firm our abs, we walk to tone our legs. Why not strengthen the muscles in our faces to firm and tone our eyes, cheeks, forehead, jaw, and neck? The beauty of face exercises is that they require no expensive creams, and no invasive procedures.

Facial Exercising - How to Start

I frequently apply an inexpensive face cream before doing these exercises, to keep the skin moist so the repeated exaggerated facial expressions do not create more wrinkles. That's just my personal "thing."

Okay. Sit in a relaxing chair, with your back straight. Do a few gentle neck rolls. (Check with your doctor before doing neck rolls.) For a facial muscle warm-up: open your mouth as wide as it would go, hold for a second, and relax. Do this 10 times. You could adjust the number of repetitions to suit your personal needs. This exercise is also known as the Lion's Pose in hatha yoga.

The Main Face Exercises

1. To assist prevent or lessen wrinkles between eyes: Keeping the face relaxed, place your fingers on your eyebrows. Now concentrate on pushing those fingers outward. (Not up.) Hold the position for a few seconds, then go back to a resting position. Repeat 10 to 20 times.

2. To tone cheeks and assist prevent sagging: Place your fingers on your cheeks. Use the cheek muscles to push your fingers up and out. Hold for a few seconds. Repeat 10 to 20 times.

3. For your neck - and who doesn't need neck exercises! Lie flat on your bed. With the rest of your body still, raise and lower your head 20 times, keeping the neck tight as you do so.

4. Anything you could do (gently) to tighten and release individual facial muscles, could have a toning effect on your face. So do not be afraid to make up your own exercises.

Your Face Exercise Regimen

First, be sure there are no contraindications, by checking with your doctor.

Then, create a daily schedule and keep to it. Many woman do their face exercises as part of their daily workout. Others tone their facial muscles while watching TV. It doesn't take long. The key is consistency.

So before you buy expensive creams, and before your under the knife, give face exercises a try. You might be on your way to a smooth, younger-looking face.