Social interaction begins with a smile. A pleasing face with a smile or grin is much more likely to get someone to chat with you than a frown.
Most people take steps to ensure that their smile is clean and white before they are willing to smile.
However, what they don’t usually pay much attention to is the tightness of facial muscles that pull their smile across their face.
We work hard to make sure we keep our body tight, and our lungs, heart, and muscles healthy. While this does help with supporting social interaction, why don’t we pay attention to our smiles as well?
Whether fair or not, society places high value on youth and beauty.
Facial exercises will do more than just improve your smile. These exercises tighten your skin, smooth your wrinkles, and keep your muscles from sagging. Your face looks much healthier, and the effects of aging are slowed down.
If this is indeed the case, why are there not more people that are doing them?
Perhaps because many people don’t know anything about them or the many benefits they provide- or maybe they just don’t feel like they have the time because their lives are full of other obligations.
However, it really doesn’t take that much time and effort.
In this article, we’ll explain 5 facial exercises that can make your smile bigger and brighter.
Facial Exercises to Improve Your Smile
Following are 5 exercises that you can easily do to improve your smile. You only need 3 things: your smile, your fingers, and a mirror. Enjoy!
Exercise Your Lips
A mirror is not really required for this exercise, but you can use one if you’re not sure about it.
You’ll start by opening your mouth in a small smile. This will cause your cheeks to tighten. Hold for 10 seconds.
Now, move into a full smile, paying attention to how your cheek muscles pull your lips toward your ears. Hold for 10 seconds.
Allow your smile to return to the barely there. Hold for 10 seconds
Do this five times in a row, at least once a day. If possible, do it twice daily. When you’re doing it, take notice of your cheek muscles tightening and relaxing. This is known as toning and keeps your muscles tight so that they don’t sag.
Exercise Your Cheeks
Muscles in your cheeks are what pull the lips upward towards the ears when you smile- which is why big smiles are referred to as an “ear-to-ear” smile/grin.
When you do this exercise, your cheeks will be more effective at their job.
Slightly puff out your lips and smile with your lips closed up towards your eyes.
Place your pointer fingers by the corners of your mouth and slide them up and over the cheekbones towards the corners of your eyes. Once there, hold and count to 20.
Relax and repeat this process 5 times in a row at least once- if not twice- daily.
This exercise will sculpt your cheeks and center your face for a pleasing shape and tight facial muscles.
Improve Your Smile This Way
This exercise goes a bit deeper into the cheek muscles, working on them from the inside out.
Start by stretching your mouth with your lips closed, toward your eyes and hold to the count of 10.
Hold the stretch and open the mouth slightly so that teeth are barely showing and count to 10.
Next, keep holding the stretch, but open the mouth fully and count to 10.
Now, do the same process, but in reverse- holding for a count of 10 on each one.
This exercise should be repeated 5 times in a row, 1 to 2 times each day.
There’s a big difference between your happy smile and the smile you display when someone is talking about something you are not interested in and they just won’t go away. There are different muscles being used in each one. This exercise works those muscles out.
Expansion/Retraction
Another way to work out your cheek muscles is to keep lips parallel in a smile instead of a full-on smile. This will also work the deep cheek muscles to create a streamlined facial area and spectacular smile.
Start by stretching your lips to the side towards your ears. Keep your lips parallel without showing your teeth. Hold to the count of 10.
Hold the stretch and open the lips slightly- but not into a wide smile yet. Hold to the count of 10.
Finally, open your lips into a wide smile, keeping lips parallel. Your teeth should show, but not your gums. Hold to the count of 10.
Now, repeat the process backward- holding each one to the count of 10. This should be done 5 times in a row and 1-2 times daily.
Firm Your Upper Lip
Smile, open your mouth into an “O” shape. Make sure your upper teeth are covered by your upper lip. Smile again. This will lift your cheek muscles up. Hold to the count of 10.
Place your pointer fingers on your cheekbones, right under your eyes.
Relax your cheek muscles. Smile once again, while imagining that your cheek muscles are pushing your fingers up. Hold to the count of 10.
This exercise is known as a “lip push up” and should be repeated 5 times, once or twice each day.
If it helps the visualization process, you can hold your fingers above your eyebrows as you “push up” this will not only tone your upper lip, it will also tone your cheek muscles.
Conclusion
Your smile is the very first thing that people notice about you. We spend hundreds- and even thousands- of dollars to take care of our teeth.
Why would we not take the time to also exercise our face to improve our smile?
These exercises will help you have a happy smile and can even help slow down the aging process.
