Facial Exercises - How Old Do You Look?

My name is Carolyn Cleaves and I’m the owner/founder of a company that teaches facial exercises to look younger. It’s a natural alternative to invasive surgeries and fillers. Every so often I get the question, “Do facial exercises really work?” So, I decided to try a little experiment. I asked people that I met in the market place … grocery stores and restaurants … people who have seen me for years as well as strangers the question, “How old do you think I am?”

The usual response has been, “Oh. I’d guess 39 years old”. Then I will also get, “To be honest with you? I’d have to say 41 or maybe 42 years old. Sorry. But that’s what I really think”. Not to hurt my feelings, if I’m younger. Well, I’m 63 years old. No feelings hurt. in fact. I’m very happy. I’ve been doing facial exercises for about 12 years, now. When I was around 52, when I had first started with facial exercises, if I’d told someone I was 55 years old they would have said, “That’s about right”. Now when I tell someone I’m 63 years old, they say, “No way!”

I have to admit, facial exercises are not a quick fix. First of all you have to learn the exercises. This takes about 2 weeks of practicing until you can gain control over the muscles of the face. For example, learning to contract only your lower eye lids takes awhile, but once you learn this, it’s effortless. As you engage these newly “revived” muscles, you’re also activating the little lymph nodes that live under the eyes. You therefore not only strengthen and tighten the area under the eyes so that it looks smooth and firmer over time, you’re also flushing away old toxins and those dark circles start to go away.

You see, muscles, skin and connective tissue in the face are complex and intertwined. This allows us to make facial expressions. The body is a little different. Muscles attach bone to bone in the body. The fascia and connective tissue essentially slide “over” the body muscles in comparison to the face. In the face, one end of the muscle is connected to the bones of the face and the other end is connected to another muscle or it connects directly into the skin. Connective tissues as elastic fibers tend to take on the form of the shape of your face as they build. In other words, the skin firms-up around the muscle fiber as it tones and tightens. Wrinkles flatten out and you can literally rub them out. Your neck becomes firm and smooth. Your eyelids lift up. Your cheeks take on a youthful rounded shape. Your complexion improves as more oxygen feeds the cells of your face and neck. In fact, I’ve already done a lot of the research and you can read about it in detail on my website. Just click here: http://www.carolynsfacialfitness.com/ and here: http://www.carolynsfacialfitness.com/faq/facial-exercise-faq

So. Facial exercises have to be learned and they have to be practiced, too. But, for only 15 minutes a workout, 3 times a week, you can take 5, 10, 15 or 20 years off your “real” age. It does require some effort, I admit. But hey! They also help to release tension in the face and you therefore not only look and feel younger; you also look and feel more relaxed and refreshed. How old do you look? You can regain that vital youthful look you thought you’d never see again and it’s just at your fingertips.

Here’s a simple exercise to try once a day five days a week for three weeks. It’s called the “Upper Eyelid Stretch”. Give it 3 weeks and reap the benefits:

• Place the index finger of each hand just under the brows
• Push up with your fingers and hold
• Try to close the eyes while stretching the lids down towards the bottom of the eyes
• Hold this stretch firmly yet gently while counting to 10
• Repeat 5 times