Walter Cronkite, Mr. Magoo and Richard Nixon all sported sagging cheeks, or jowls as they're commonly called. Jowls are the pendulous skin flaps at the face and chin. If your jowls bother you, do facial exercises three to five times a week to tone your muscles and reduce the droop.
Understanding Fat
Before you begin your facial workouts, survey your entire body. Exertion of facial muscles does not directly target and eliminate the fat that contributes to the jowls. If you are overweight or obese, and you carry extra fat all over, face exercises will have limited impact on your jowls. Your genes determine where excess calories get stored as fat, says Barry Star, M.D. from the Stanford School of Medicine. When you eat more calories than you burn, your body deposits fat in its favorite stores. If you have sagging jowls, then your face is apparently a gathering place for fat, and the best way to get rid of it is to lose weight. When you lose weight, it is taken proportionately from wherever you store it, including your cheeks. Cut calories and do moderately intense aerobic exercise at least 30 minutes a day.
Kiss the Ceiling
Sit or stand upright. Tilt your head back so you face the ceiling. Pucker your lips and stretch them as far as you can, as if you're going to kiss the ceiling. Hold this position for five seconds, then return your lips and your head to your normal, straight-ahead position. Repeat the exercise five times.
Swish Air
Close your lips tightly, then inflate them with air. Force the air to one side, then the next. Force air to inside the top of your lips, then to the bottom. Repeat the pressure movements, inflating all sections of your mouth five times.
No-Calorie Chew
Sit or stand upright. Tilt your head toward the ceiling. Keep your lips together but not sealed. Make chewing movements with your jaw. Repeat 20 times.
Look Around
While sitting or standing upright, look straight ahead and then turn your head gently to the left so you are looking over your left shoulder. Push gently so you feel stretching and hold this position for five seconds, then turn your head gently so you are looking over your right shoulder and hold that position for five seconds. Repeat the exercise 3 times.
Head Tilt
Looking straight ahead, gently tilt your head to the right as if to touch your right ear to your right shoulder. Feel the muscles stretch as you hold the position for five seconds. Return your head to the upright position. Repeat the exercise 5 times, then tilt your head over your left shoulder, holding it for five counts. Return your head to the upright position. Repeat this four more times.
Silent Anime Scream
At some point in just about every anime movie ever made, some character yells, and when he does he opens his mouth wide enough to fill the screen. Open your mouth as wide as you can, while tensing the muscles around your mouth and jaw. Hold this position for a couple of counts and then close your mouth tight. Repeat five times.
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