Work Those Facial Muscles Out!

[master_bacarra 0]

don't smile that much? maybe this will help you.it is believed that you work out more muscles when you frown or get sad compared to when you smile. that's why most people advice to "smile" a lot, not only to enhance your aura and your overall physical look, but also to work those facial muscles out.here is one exercise i've been using for quite some time now. i've seen this on a lifestyle show once.first, you close your mouth and smile (without showing your teeth). you have to make it as wide as possible as if you're smiling from "ear to ear". then you count for 10 seconds. after 10 seconds, make an 'O' shape using your mouth (imagine saying 'O' with your lips pointing as far as possible). count for another 10 seconds. you could repeat this a couple of times just like when you're doing your regular muscle workout to train those facial muscles.it also helps give your face some "lift" and not make it look sagging.try it out.ps to the mods (please transfer this if it's not put on the appropriate subforum. thanks.)

[galexcd 0]

heheh sounds cool, but people better be sure to do this in their own homes... I'd think sombody was crazy if I actually saw them doing that in public :)

Edited June 17, 2007 by alex7h3pr0gr4m3r (see edit history)

[TypoMage 0]

Hmm feels weird and makes me look stupid.... I love it! But seriously that does feel weird. My sister is looking at me while I did it. Wow now I feel really stupid.

[srujanlive 0]

don't smile that much? maybe this will help you.
it is believed that you work out more muscles when you frown or get sad compared to when you smile. that's why most people advice to "smile" a lot, not only to enhance your aura and your overall physical look, but also to work those facial muscles out.

Shouldn't it be the other way round? I mean your sentence. I got confused. Thats why. You work out more muscles when you smile.

[master_bacarra 0]

Shouldn't it be the other way round? I mean your sentence. I got confused. Thats why. You work out more muscles when you smile.

you're right. what i did say sounded contradictory to each other. anyway, i got this from a website.

 

Muscles involved in a "zygomatic" (i.e., genuine) smile:

 

Zygomaticus major and minor. These muscles pull up the corners of the mouth. They're bilateral (one set on either side of the face). Total number of muscles: 4.

Orbicularis oculi. One of these muscles encircles each eye and causes crinkling. Total: 2.

Levator labii superioris. Pulls up corner of lip and nose. Bilateral. Total: 2.

Levator anguli oris. Also helps elevate angle of mouth. Bilateral. Total: 2.

Risorius. Pulls corner of mouth to the side. Bilateral. Total: 2.

 

Grand total for smiling: 12.

 

 

Principal muscles involved in a frown:

 

Orbicularis oculi (again). Total: 2.

Platysma. Pulls down lips and wrinkles skin of lower face. Bilateral (though joined at midline). Total: 2.

Corrugator supercilii (bilateral) and procerus (unilateral). Furrow brow. Total: 3.

Orbicularis oris. Encircles mouth; purses lips. Unilateral. Total: 1.

Mentalis. Depresses lower lip. Unilateral. Total: 1.

Depressor anguli oris. Pulls corner of mouth down. Bilateral. Total: 2.

 

Grand total for frowning: 11.

so it means that you're actually using more muscles when you're smiling. which means this exercise would help strengthen those muscles that are necessary for smiling. i believe i should have said "it's easier to frown than to smile"; i used to believe that "the number of muscles used when frowning are greater compared to the number of muscles used when smiling." anyway, at least we get some closure on that.

[master_bacarra 0]

heheh sounds cool, but people better be sure to do this in their own homes... I'd think sombody was crazy if I actually saw them doing that in public :D

well it's your choice you could do it in the comforts of your own room, in front of the mirror (although i think you'd end up laughing at yourself in the process ). it's exercise! have fun.

Hmm feels weird and makes me look stupid.... I love it! But seriously that does feel weird. My sister is looking at me while I did it. Wow now I feel really stupid.

lol well you could tell your sister to join you

[galexcd 0]

Hmm feels weird and makes me look stupid.... I love it! But seriously that does feel weird. My sister is looking at me while I did it. Wow now I feel really stupid.

HAhahaha See? thats what I was talking about. I don't have any siblings, but if I did, I'd probably die of embarrassment if somebody saw me

[master_bacarra 0]

HAhahaha See? thats what I was talking about. I don't have any siblings, but if I did, I'd probably die of embarrassment if somebody saw me

you could try look at yourself in front of the mirror while doing it. who knows, looking at yourself while doing this exercise will make you laugh at yourself. you're not only exercising your facial muscles, you're also inducing a laugh and in the end you'll see yourself smiling even more.

[sheepdog 10]

it also helps give your face some "lift" and not make it look sagging.

Ok, that part got my attention! I can probably use some help in that department!

try it out.

Ok, I did. Wow, I have to say that after a couple times, I could feel the muscles were tired, so apparently they needed a workout. I'm just glad I don't have anybody around at the time when I try this, it would look pretty stupid.

[Ishers 0]

it may seem funny, but if you smiled regularly in public then you wouldn't need to do this exercise! hahaha so to avoid looking stupid just smile more in public!

[disneyreporter 0]

That's quite interesting. Thanks for posting. If you add laughing to this routine, you can burn some calories as well.

[varalu 0]

Thanks for the thread guys... I have started to do these facial exercises.

[GrinningKittie 0]

Another fun fact on smiling here......It's good for your limbic system! What? The system in your body that works with and produces your immunity factor against illness. When you smile you release chemicals ( in the brain) that help boost your immune system. Neat huh? No wonder they say "laughter is the best medicine" !

[rayzoredge 2]

Muscles involved in a "zygomatic" (i.e., genuine) smile:

 

Zygomaticus major and minor. These muscles pull up the corners of the mouth. They're bilateral (one set on either side of the face). Total number of muscles: 4.

Orbicularis oculi. One of these muscles encircles each eye and causes crinkling. Total: 2.

Levator labii superioris. Pulls up corner of lip and nose. Bilateral. Total: 2.

Levator anguli oris. Also helps elevate angle of mouth. Bilateral. Total: 2.

Risorius. Pulls corner of mouth to the side. Bilateral. Total: 2.

 

Grand total for smiling: 12.

 

 

Principal muscles involved in a frown:

 

Orbicularis oculi (again). Total: 2.

Platysma. Pulls down lips and wrinkles skin of lower face. Bilateral (though joined at midline). Total: 2.

Corrugator supercilii (bilateral) and procerus (unilateral). Furrow brow. Total: 3.

Orbicularis oris. Encircles mouth; purses lips. Unilateral. Total: 1.

Mentalis. Depresses lower lip. Unilateral. Total: 1.

Depressor anguli oris. Pulls corner of mouth down. Bilateral. Total: 2.

 

Grand total for frowning: 11.

I thought it was very funny that someone actually sat down and figured this out.

 

Of course, it made me smirk... which is half of my facial workout for the day.

 

-

 

On another note, there was a special on 20/20 (I think) that featured a "club" where people in the immediate neighborhood got together to laugh. That's all they do. It's a laughing club, so to speak... and as we've noted in this topic, facial expressions as well as laughter is healthy, psychologically and physically.

 

Not a bad idea to spread this sort of strangeness, if you'd ask me. But hey, the idea of a laughing club is funny in itself.

Edited April 11, 2008 by rayzoredge (see edit history)