The benefits of exercise for our bodies and our minds is undisputed. An emerging trend is the benefits of facial exercise. Studies have shown that it increases muscle tone and appearance, but more than anything it feels good (an important antidote to squinting at screens all day). Here are three facial exercises we’ve been testing this week.
1. Eyebrow Lifter: Another Happy Face favourite. “Press three fingertips of each hand under your eyebrows to force your eyes open. Try to frown your eyebrows down against your fingers, then close your upper eyelids tightly and roll your eyeballs up. Hold for 20 seconds, then relax.
2. The Cheek Lifter: Gary Sikorski of Happy Face Yoga developed the Cheek Lifter to do exactly that. “Open the mouth to form an O, pull the upper lip up over the top teeth, and smile to lift the cheek muscles up. Then place fingers lightly on the top part of the cheek, release the muscles to lower them, and lift back up, repeating several times
3. The Invisible Smile: “It’s all the motions of a big smile, so big that your ears move back, but without showing any teeth,” says New York dermatologist Doris Day. “This lifts the jawline, makes you feel happy and helps you be engaged and present. It’s also the opposite of a frown, so you don’t furrow the brows and the corners of your mouth come up.”
Photo: Unsplash – Audrey Fretz
