TOP FACIAL EXERCISES: HOW TO GET YOUTHFUL SKIN WITH “THE 5-MINUTE FACIAL WORKOUT” BOOK

Can you exercise your way to more youthful skin? In her new book, author Catherine Pez says you can improve and tighten your skin by doing “facial gymnastics.”

We all know that exercise is the best way to lose weight, tone muscles and achieve optimum health. When you incorporate strength training into your regimen your muscles begin to tone and tighten, changing the shape of your body as a result. So can this happen to your face as well?

According to Catherine Pez, who’s been teaching her method of  “facial gymnastics” for years, you can change the contour of your face and achieve a more youthful appearance with a specific facial workout regimen program that’s outlined in her book The 5-Minute Facial Workout: 30 Exercises for a Naturally Beautiful Face.

“By working the muscles that support the face, facial gymnastics help to counter sagging and withering tissue,” Pez says in her book. “Restored muscle tension will correct an altered oval, redraw a furrowed lip contour, soften wrinkles, tone a tired appearance and erase an unsightly double chin.”

The book begins by explaining the fundamentals of facial gymnastics and how it works. It includes a muscle chart to show you what your face muscles look like and how they play a part in the structure of the face.

So how exactly does tightening facial muscles effect the appearance of your skin? “Over time the underlying muscles lose their tone and become less effective at doing their job to support and vascularize the skin,” Pez states. “The skin, for the most part, is a reflection of what is going on underneath it. Its condition depends on the different systems that provide its vascularization, hydration and renewal. In other words, the appearance, tone and health of facial skin are highly dependent on the facial muscles being in good condition.”

The facial workout exercises are divided into three programs for women based on their age (30’s, 40’s and 45+ pre menopause and menopause), and skin needs. Pez also provides a chart offering suggestions on how many days per week you should perform the exercises for optimum results. Pez says that some women will see results within days, but just like any workout, in order to achieve maximum results, the program must be followed a certain period of time along with maintenance.

The 30 exercises are sectioned according to areas of the face:

Redrawing the Contour of the Face
Correcting the Shape of the Mouth
Strengthening the Cheeks and Remodeling the Cheekbones
Revitalizing the Eyes’ Appearance and Toning Around the Eyes
Releasing Tension in the Upper Face and Smoothing Out the Forehead

Each exercise is accompanied by easy instruction on how to perform the movements along with a coloured photo. As an added bonus, Pez also teaches you how to massage areas of your face so that your face serums and moisturizers will absorb better. Bonus!

Below are two samples of the exercises from the book, one for lips and one for the neck.

Exercise Sample #1: The Lips:
Pucker up! Push the lips together and push them out as if you were about to kiss someone. Hold for five seconds, then release. Pez says that this exercise stimulates collagen and blood circulation.

Exercise Sample #2: The Forehead
Hold your head level while in front of a mirror and raise your forehead towards your hairline. Repeat 10 times in short intervals. Pez says that this exercise helps wrinkles from becoming embedded into the forehead and relaxes the upper part of the face to the temples.

Photos: Courtesy of The 5-Minute Facial Workout: 30 Exercises for a Naturally Beautiful Face http://www.robertrose.ca/book/5-minute-facial-workout by Catherine Pez, 2014 © www.robertrose.ca http://www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission.

—By Toni-Marie Ippolito