Exercise Your Face to Look Healthier & Younger

Do you have a problem area on your face that you would like to change? Double chin, droopy eyes, jowls, pouches, crows feet or marionette lines? Aging is as sneaky as sun damage and it seems that in a twinkling of an eye, your face can look so different that you might wonder just who is that person staring back at you in the mirror?

Could facial exercise be the answer to the age old question –“Can I maintain a youthful appearance?” Must I spend my children’s inheritance to stave off Mother Nature’s footprints across my face?

You can certainly turn back the clock with facial exercise that employs resistance and isometric contractions of the muscles using the thumbs and fingers. This doesn’t mean that you will look sixteen or even twenty again but shaving off ten or fifteen years from your appearance with exercise rivals the results of most plastic surgery procedures.

Plastic surgery techniques do not stop the aging process; muscles in the face continue to make their downward slide dragging the skin unnaturally, creating the need for more and more surgical procedures. With exercise, the muscles become stronger, the skin looks revitalized and lifted. Most importantly, facial exercises can be performed inexpensively at home.

The muscles of the face elongate just like the muscles in your arms, thighs and buttocks; in fact, the muscles in the face will have elongated about one-half inch by the time most people have reached the age of 55. The elongation is the result of atrophy of the muscles and gravity. Even though we talk, sing or laugh, the muscles continue to soften and become lax; it’s only when the facial muscles are specifically exercised do they begin to plump up and support your skin better.

The elongation of facial muscles affects every area of your face. For instance, the “apples” in your upper cheeks may not be positioned prominently, in fact, when a smile is made, rather than seeing fullness high on the cheeks, the muscles may appear flat and midway between the nose and mouth.

If you add one-half inch to the length of your forehead, your eye area suffers because the downward motion compresses into the brows. What happens if you add one-half inch or more to the area under the chin? The dreaded wattle is developing. One-half inch added to the jaw line means jowls are forming.

Beginning a facial exercise program to sculpt and contour the face may seem daunting at first because the movements and positioning feel somewhat awkward. Remember when you first learned to ride a bicycle? It was so scary! But after a few days of lumps and bumps, you were pedaling like you were a pro. It’s the same with facial exercise, once you become familiar with the movements, you will marvel that these simple steps can easily produce a younger looking face.

You will want to take beginning photos before you start a facial exercise regimen so that you can track your progress and you will want to update your photos at the end of every third week. In about three weeks friends and colleagues will begin noticing that something is definitely different about you. They may think you have changed your hair in some way or that you are sleeping better but you will know what they’re seeing is your pretty face returning.

In hardly any time at all, you will notice how smooth and refreshed your skin looks; your face glows with radiance from increased oxygenation to the muscles and those sagging, droopy muscles are now portraying a more youthful looking you. Without surgery, drugs or anything harmful you can turn back the clock and look at least 10-15 years younger.

Cynthia Rowland is widely recognized as an expert in all natural facial fitness with over thirty years experience in health & beauty related fields. She has appeared on The View, Fit TV, HGTV and other popular shows. This author, speaker and television personality is leading the crusade to keep men and women looking vibrantly younger through natural techniques without spending their children’s inheritance.

Cynthia Rowland, Anti-aging Expert I Save Faces http://www.facialmagic.com/

Master Athletes Age Better

Almost 50 percent of Americans die of heart attacks and strokes, diseases that are associated with a faulty diet and lack of exercise. Almost 80 percent are overweight or obese, which is also associated with lack of exercise. Yet only 13 percent of people over 65 engage in vigorous physical activity three or more days a week. Among those over 75, only six percent exercise regularly.

Master athletes are older men and women who compete in sports at a very high level, no matter how old they are. They are healthier than age-matched people in virtually every category that has been measured (Nutrition Today, Volume 40, 2006). Of course they are more fit, as measured by their maximal ability to take in and use oxygen. They have lower cholesterols, comparable to those of people in their twenties. They have lower glucose tolerance and HBA1C screening tests for diabetes. They have lower waist-to-hip ratios, decreasing their risk for metabolic syndrome and diabetes. They have far less body fat.

Many people who have never exercised are afraid to start an exercise program. They should check with their doctors and get a special exercise stress test. If they pass the test, they are at low risk for complications during exercise. Then they should join an organized exercise program. One study showed that 85 percent of middle aged Americans who start an exercise program quit in the first six weeks. Those most likely to remain exercised with a spouse or friend, used a personal trainer, or participated in classes such as aerobic dancing or spinning. Successful lifelong exercisers usually make their sports part of their social life, not just a tedious chore.

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Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports -- and the FREE Good Food Book -- at http://www.drmirkin.com/

Anti Aging Benefits of Exercise

How are exercise and anti aging benefits connected? As we age, certain changes in lifestyle and physical fitness are predictable, especially in Western cultures. We tend to become less active and begin to gain weight. The percentage of our body weight attributable to fat increases, while the percentage attributable to muscle decreases. A less active lifestyle results in a decreased ability to use oxygen as well. Though predictable, these changes are avoidable with a commitment to regular exercise - among the anti aging benefits of exercise are the ability to maintain a healthy body weight, physical strength and aerobic fitness long into our senior years.

Advice for anti aging exercise varies, with some experts advocating strength training, while others emphasize aerobic exercise or stress the importance of stretching. Many people turn to activities like qigong or yoga for a blend of therapeutic exercise of both body and mind. A combination of activities including all of these things in moderation probably provides the best anti aging benefits. Strength training will keep you strong and decrease your chances of joint or back injury, or muscle strain. Stretching also helps to avoid muscle strain, and increases flexibility. Aerobic exercise reinforces cardiovascular fitness and keeps your joints working.

The key to achieving the anti aging benefits of exercise is to exercise regularly. Again, you'll find many different variations of advice on when you should exercise and for how long. You should probably aim for a minimum of an hour of exercise, three to four times a week. If this seems too much at first, start with 15 minutes a day and work up to longer periods.
Choose an activity you enjoy: you'll be more likely to stick with it. Perhaps you like swimming, biking, walking or playing tennis. Gardening, raking, and even housework are all good forms of exercise. Walking to the store and taking the stairs instead of the elevator count as well. If the weather's bad, you could use a stationary bicycle and get your exercise while watching the news - there are lots of ways to sneak a little exercise into your day and achieve some anti aging benefits without much effort.

Many people are very busy and feel that they don't have time to set aside for exercise. If this is you, think seriously about trying harder to find time: it really is important, and the anti aging benefits of exercise mean that you can look forward to getting it all back and more - in years of good health added on your life.


R. Drysdale is a freelance writer with more than 25 years experience as a health care professional. You can learn more about anti aging benefits of exercise on the AntiAging Information site.