Exercises for the face and neck at home

Every year the skin of the face and neck changes: it dries up, becomes more flabby, and fine wrinkles appear. In pursuit of beauty, some go through various expensive drugs, others fall under the knives of specialists. However, it is not at all necessary to immediately resort to such costly and dangerous methods that carry certain risks. You can significantly improve the structure of the skin and tighten it on your own and with little or no investment. Facial exercises are practically the only alternative to plastic surgery for skin rejuvenation.

There are many different facebuilding courses that can be purchased in the form of video tutorials or special authoring courses. Developed around the 2000s, the program of the Russian physician N.B. Osminina, engaged in the restoration of facial muscles and treatment of the human musculoskeletal system, is considered one of the most effective. At its core, the program is a complex of exercises and massage for the face, which helps to tighten and eliminate skin defects that appear with age. This system is based on the principles of theoretical mechanics and biohydraulics, exercises regulate the tension and relaxation of the muscles of the face and neck.

It is not just about tightening the skin by working out the facial muscles. This is a whole complex of anti-aging and healing programs that awaken and use the internal reserves of the body. Blood circulation improves, the metabolic processes of the epidermis and the removal of harmful substances from the human body are accelerated, the skin regenerates at a faster rate than usual. The author notes that the correct execution of exercises will not only develop weak muscles, but also remove hypertonicity and spasms of those muscles that have been overloaded.

The entire program is based on several principles.

• The skin does not age by itself. The muscle corset, which includes the muscles themselves, as well as nerves, blood vessels and bones, is responsible for its elasticity and youth. Negative changes in this corset entail changes in the dermis.
• Wrinkles occur where there is muscle spasm. A healthy strong muscle should always be in a little tension, but when it becomes excessive, the skin contracts and a fold appears. The complex is aimed at relieving excessive tension and restoring the necessary tone to the muscles.
• Healthy muscles are healthy skin. Proper muscle work will rejuvenate your face and body. Their tension will tighten the skin and enhance its regeneration, while their relaxation will get rid of edema and blockages.
• It is necessary to deal with skin health from a young age. All wrinkles and folds begin to form in the facial muscles from adolescence. It is important to detect and remove all blocks and clamps as early as possible, preventing, rather than removing, the resulting wrinkles.

Despite the fact that the mechanisms of skin aging have been studied for a long time, many scientists are still working on solving this problem.

Aging is due to several factors.

• This is fluid stagnation that can lead to lymphostasis. Impaired blood circulation leads to atony of the skin, it becomes dull and flabby. All metabolic processes of the body slow down, which, in turn, can even lead to serious illnesses.
• This is a daily constant stress. As a result, muscle tissue grows in volume and freezes in spasms, which leads to stretching and sagging of the skin, the appearance of flews and a double chin.
• These are fascial cravings. Fasciae are muscular membranes connected into a single system and connecting all muscles into a single complex. A spasmodic area of ​​one muscle stretches the entire fascial complex and changes posture and facial features.

Thus, by preventing and eliminating these three causes of aging in the body, exercise contributes to:

• improving blood circulation and blood supply to the epidermis;
• increased lymphatic outflow;
• improving the structure of the skin;
• restoration of the oval of the face and the clarity of the jaw lines;
• reducing the staticity of the muscles of the face and neck;
• elimination of wrinkles and an increase in the smoothness of the skin;
• enhanced soft tissue lifting;
• improving the work of facial muscles and jaw muscles;
• elimination of flews and double chin.

Despite the scientific approach and the great effectiveness of exercises, classes have certain contraindications.

You cannot carry out manual (and even more so vacuum) manipulations in the following cases:

• various inflammations and abscesses in the area that needs to be massaged;
• congenital problems with the cervico-lumbar spine, osteoporosis;
• injuries to the jaw, collarbone or spine, as well as traumatic brain injury;
• failures in the circulatory system;
• hypertension and vascular disease;
• inflammation of the ternary or facial nerve;
• various diseases of the epidermis (warts, eczema, psoriasis);
• serious illnesses such as cancer, diabetes mellitus, or diseases of the immune system;
• psychological disorders, addictions.

It is advisable for even a healthy person to consult with their doctor before starting the course. Exercise will not correct the defects caused by a particular medical condition.For example, if the swelling is caused by a disease, then massage of the swollen tissues will only increase the stretching of the skin.

The exercise program will improve the complexion, reduce the thickness of subcutaneous fat on the cheeks and chin. It will restore the contour of the face, tighten the eyelids, make the eyes more open and widen the eyes, eliminate wrinkles. In addition, the complex will improve the condition of the neck: lengthen and give it a beautiful contour, reduce transverse wrinkles. The main thing is to improve posture and relieve tension in the shoulder core. Thus, this is not just facial gymnastics, the work is carried out with the shoulder girdle, back and cervical spine.

The facial exercise program includes a large complex that affects all the muscles in this area.

The exercises are designed to reduce and completely remove wrinkles and smooth the skin. But the complex will also help improve sleep: it will become easier to fall asleep and wake up, sleep will be deeper and will make you feel more rested. To do this, you need to place the index finger of the leading hand over the eyebrow, leaning it against the skin with its side part. On the temple, you need to make an emphasis with the thumb of the same hand, pulling the skin. Overall, it looks like a one-handed visor.

The other hand is put behind the head and brought to the area of ​​skin located above the first hand. In a circular motion, the skin is pulled in the direction from the eyebrow to the edge of the hair, after which the hands are changed, and the whole procedure is repeated for the other half of the forehead. You can also massage the middle part of the frontal lobe. Place the palms on the face so that the little fingers touch each other in the center of the forehead. Spiral movements of the palms massage the skin from bottom to top from the center of the forehead to its edges.

The following exercise will help to relax the muscles of the forehead, to return the eyebrows to the correct position. One hand is placed on the back of the head, and the other is placed on the forehead. The tissues of the forehead should be slowly pulled up to the hairline, while moving the tissues of the back of the head towards the neck with the other hand.

To make the eyes wider, and to increase the orbit around the inner corner, you need to stretch the skin a little. To do this, with the index and middle fingers of one hand, you need to form the letter "V" and, directing your hand with your palm to your eyes, attach them to the outer corner of the eyebrow and under the outer corner of the eye. The resulting "fork" pulls the skin to the sides of the eye, and then moves towards the nose. Another similar exercise can be done by placing your index finger in the middle of your eyebrow and your thumb in the middle of your cheek. The skin is stretched and compressed in different directions, massaged in a circular motion. After the end of the stretch, you need to open your eyes as wide as possible and blink quickly several times.

In order to lift the corners of the lips, it is necessary to put the index fingers of both hands on them. In this case, the thumbs lie on the arch of the jaw on both sides of the chin. With light movements, the fingers are pulled towards each other, relaxing the muscles of the chin. The exercise can be repeated for each corner of the mouth separately.

To reduce the nasolabial folds and increase their lymphatic drainage, the following exercise is perfect. The index finger of one hand is placed on the wing of the nostril, and the finger of the other hand is placed on the point where the crease begins. The fingers move in such a way that each of them draws half of the figure eight. This will relax the muscles. After that, the index fingers lie along the nasolabial folds towards the nose and, with light vibrating movements from the bottom up, "stroke" the fold.This will allow excess water to drain out of the area.

In order to raise the upper lip and wings of the nose, you need to pinch the edge of the nostril with two fingers of one hand, and put the fingers of the other hand at the inner corner of the eye on the same side of the face. The lower fingers move to the upper ones and linger for a few seconds at the highest point.

To restore elasticity to the oval of the face and smooth the cheeks, it is necessary to perform an exercise called "Scream". It will remove the spasms of the muscles of the jaw and lower it into the correct position. To do this, you need to open your mouth and lower the lower jaw to the neck. The lips are pulled out in such a way as if the letter "O" is being pronounced. At the same time, the palms are located in the junction area of ​​the lower and upper jaws and press on the muscle, stretching and smoothing it. The eyes should be wide open during exercise in order to tighten the skin of the face. Thus, the exercise is performed by those who develop flews with age. Those who have a chin “crawling” upward with age should place their palms on their cheeks and move them towards hair growth.

All facial exercises can be performed both while sitting and lying down. This is especially convenient when facial gymnastics is performed immediately after waking up, directly on the bed. The main thing in these exercises is not to overdo it with tightening the skin, especially around the eyes.

Cervical exercises are foundational exercises. In order to achieve maximum success in the restoration of the epidermis and its rejuvenation, you need to start the daily complex with them.

To lengthen the neck, improve blood circulation and reduce pain in osteochondrosis, it is necessary to perform an exercise called "Hanger". To do this, you must freely hang your head down, without pressing your chin to your chest. Leaving your head down, you need to raise your shoulders up and stay in this position for about 30 seconds. Then you can return to the starting position by raising your head.

The second exercise that allows you to work out the muscles of the neck is the following set of actions. Hands are placed on the lower back, one shoulder rises, the shoulder blade is pulled back. The head is turned in the opposite direction from the shoulder, while the chin should gradually rise. In this position, you need to linger for 30 seconds, and then return to the starting position, lowering your shoulder, but leaving your hands on your lower back. After three repetitions, the shoulder changes.

To reduce transverse wrinkles and eliminate a double chin, it is necessary to perform the "Frame" exercise daily. The arms are raised and bent at the elbows, the palms cover the elbows, forming a kind of frame above the head. The head tilts downward and the shoulders stretch upward, straightening the spine. After that, one hand is placed on the chest, and the other is slightly extended under the chin and neck by spreading the arms in different directions.

A protruding neck is often found in people who spend a lot of time or work at a computer. Because of this, pain in the shoulders appears, the face changes. In order to straighten your neck, you must regularly do the following. Hands are put behind the back and squeezed into a lock, the neck is stretched forward without tilting the head. In this position, you need to linger for 30 seconds. After that, it is necessary to carry out the opposite actions: clasp your hands in the lock in front of the body, and pull the neck back.

To remove muscle clamps and lengthen your neck, you need to raise one shoulder and tilt your head towards it, stretching your neck as much as possible on the other side, and then freeze in this position for at least 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side of the neck. Stretching and squeezing the muscles of the back surface is carried out in a similar way, only the shoulders are raised and lowered at the same time.

There are many different exercises you can do to straighten your spine and open your chest. One of them is the Sail exercise, which will not only open the chest, but also stretch the muscles of the arms and strengthen the lymphatic drainage of the body. To do this, you need to stand in the doorway, placing your palms on the jambs, and then, without lifting your palms, take a wide step forward. In this position, you need to hold out for at least 30 seconds, then relieve tension by bending your back outward and lowering your head.

The second exercise for the back is the so-called zero gravity. It will stretch the spine and loosen all the dorsal muscle clamps. It is best to perform it on a fitball, but you can do it without it. First, you need to bend forward, as if hugging a large round ball (or actually hugging it), and stay in this position for at least half a minute. After that, it is necessary to bend in the same way in the opposite direction and also linger in this position.

The third exercise for correcting posture is called Active Standing. You need to stand in such a way that the feet are located exactly under the shoulders, the tailbone is directed to the floor, and the buttocks are slightly tense. The entire body should be in a straight line from the top of the head to the very heels. In order to perform the exercise, you need to smoothly stretch the top of your head up, while opening the chest and pulling the shoulder blades back. You need to stay in this position much longer than in other exercises, namely from 3 to 5 minutes. And you can do this exercise at any time of the day, while at work, standing in line at the store, or while traveling on the subway.

A separate place is occupied by exercises with a special roller.which will help relieve back pain, reduce swelling and even promote weight loss. A ready-made juniper roller, purchased in a specialized store, or made by hand, is best for this. The roller must be put on the floor and lie on it in such a way that the roller is strictly under the navel area. The outstretched legs are connected with the little fingers, the arms are extended above the head and also touch each other with the little fingers. In this position, you need to stay for at least a couple of minutes, adding 20-30 seconds of exercise duration for every second day. Thus, it is possible to bring the execution time to 10-15 minutes, which will have a beneficial effect on the health of both the spine and many internal organs.

The complete basic course contains over 40 different exercises that affect the facial, cervical and spinal muscles and ligaments. The principle of their implementation is similar to some of the principles of performing yoga asanas - you need to take a position in space, feel the tension or relaxation of certain muscles and stay in this position for a while.

You can list some of the basic movements on which most of the rest are built:

• abduction of the shoulder, arms, shoulder blades;
• tilts of the head, body;
• stretching a muscle through action;
• stretching the muscles with the hands;
• tightening muscles through action;
• squeezing muscles with your hands;
• massage.

In addition, massage is divided into vacuum and sculptural.

• Vacuum Facial Fitness - This is a muscle massage using small vacuum jars. It requires a set of three cans, the smallest of which is needed to work out small areas (skin around the eyes, lips); a medium-sized jar is needed to massage the nose and temporal lobes; a large jar is needed to work out the large muscles of the cheekbones, forehead and chin. This massage will increase blood circulation, increase the production of natural collagen and smooth expression lines.
• Sculpted facial fitness - This is a massage of muscles with the help of hands.During the lesson, those muscles that are practically not used in everyday life are tense and relaxed, which allows the skin to receive more nutrition and oxygen, strengthen it and reduce visible defects.

You can choose one massage method, but for best results it is recommended to combine or alternate vacuum and sculptural massage. In this case, you need to either delimit it by zones or by time, you should not start the second immediately after the first.

The exercise system was designed in such a way that anyone can do it independently at home.

There are a few rules that you should be familiar with before starting to practice this method.

• 30 seconds. This rule states that any contracted or stretched muscle (or muscle group) must be kept in a state of tone for at least 30 seconds, otherwise the desired effect will not be obtained.
• Crick. Almost all exercises involve slowly but vigorously stretching certain muscle groups. This is necessary in order to restore their original length, which they lost due to spasm. Since the main pressure is not exerted on the muscle tissue itself, but on its shell (fascia), it is necessary to carry out all the manipulations quite carefully.
• Pretension. Pretension is the tension of tissues in the opposite direction or opposite to it. It is performed before many basic exercises and is done until the muscle relaxes completely at the site of impact.
• Load. Don't push too hard on the fascia. Virtually no exercise requires effort, moreover, in some exercises, they are even harmful. Especially carefully it is necessary to dose the load by performing a facial massage in the area of ​​the eyes, lips and sinuses.
• Fixation. At the end of some exercises, you need to fix the stretched muscle with your fingers or hands for some time. This usually takes 3 to 5 seconds.

The very sequence of any exercise should look like this.

• The face is cleansed of cosmetics, tight clothes and underwear are removed from the upper body.
• The palms are heated by friction and applied to the affected areas.
• After the skin has slightly warmed up from warm palms, you can begin to manipulate, moving from light touches to strong stretches.
• First, the neck and back are worked out, then the face. On the face, the forehead is treated first, then the cheeks and after all the chin.
• Vacuum massage begins with the largest jar, moving towards the smallest one as it is performed.
• After the massage, the skin should be warmed up again with rubbed palms and allowed to cool for a few minutes before applying makeup or putting on clothes. And also you can additionally rehabilitate the skin with a nourishing cream or mask.

Almost all doctors of various specializations approve and consider Osminina's method to be effective, since this method is based on medical research and the principles of the human body. On various Internet resources, you can find many rave reviews from women and men of different ages. Many people note that after a couple of months of exercise, the oval of the face has become much clearer, the second chin has significantly decreased or disappeared completely, and the nasolabial folds have become not so deep. Ladies describe improved posture, lengthening of the neck and even the loss of a few extra pounds. Many forums post before and after photos with the results.

Such impressive results can only be achieved with regular 1-1.5 hour sessions. Therefore, those who did the exercises irregularly most often left negative reviews on the network, saying that the technique was useless and very expensive.However, there is a category of people who got painful sensations during classes. This indicates either incorrect performance of the exercise, or about any contraindications that they ignored or did not know.

The program is very rarely carried out in salons, because it was developed for individual use. On the shelves of bookstores and on the network, you can see the books of both N. Osminina herself and many of her followers, who have released their own courses based on this set of exercises.

Nevertheless, the best reviews were collected by the first books of the author:

• "Fitness for the face";
• "The Resurrection of the Face, or an Ordinary Miracle."

The first describes the principles of the methodology, gives basic exercises and recommendations for their implementation. Describes how to return and maintain the lost youthfulness of the skin and the health of the muscular corset. The second book plunges the reader deeper into the causes of deformation and aging of the skin, describing the processes that occur during this. Many satisfied buyers advise both books to purchase, because this set of exercises is a real find for those who want to maintain health and beauty for years to come.

You will learn more about the exercises in the following video.