Who doesn't want a toned and sleek face? Excess facial fat is usually due to excessive fat on the body. Spot reduction is difficult, but effective facial exercises can help burn calories, tone your muscles, and make them look sleeker.
A study found a 30-minute daily or alternate-day facial exercise program sustained over 20 weeks may modestly improve the facial appearance of middle-aged women. Here are some facial exercises to reduce face fat.
Face Fat Reducing Exercises
Here are some face thinning exercises that will help you reduce fat if done consistently:
1. Chin lift
A chin lift is an effective exercise to reduce cheek fat. Pull the lower portion of your face and chin upwards while flexing the jaw muscles. The movement increases blood circulation to these areas, resulting in fat burn. Repeat these at least 10 to 15 times in one set.
2. Facelift
It is an effective exercise to tone the muscles around the upper lips, prevent sagging, and reduce a double chin.
Method:
- Open your mouth wide open and flare your nostrils.
- Hold this position for a minimum of 15 seconds and release it.
- Repeat this at least 20 times in one set to stimulate the different muscles effectively.
3. Tongue rolling
Tongue rolling is another way of stimulating the facial muscles, which can contribute to muscle toning and make your face look slimmer.
Method:
- Keep your face straight and roll your tongue and stretch it as much as you can.
- You must try to move your tongue towards your nose and repeat this for at least 15 seconds.
- Perform a minimum of 20 sets to get effective results.
4. Fish face
Another effective exercise to reduce cheek fat and tone the muscles by making your face look slimmer is the fish face. This is like pouting, and you can include this in your workout routine to provide movement overall for the facial muscles.
Method:
- To perform this, you need to suck your cheeks in and hold them for a minimum of 25 to 30 seconds.
- Take a 5-second break and repeat this at least 10 times. It will stimulate your facial muscles and make your face slimmer.
5. Sinha mudra or lion face
Sinha mudra, also called lion posture, effectively stimulates the thyroid gland and facial muscles.
Method:
- For performing this, you need to sit comfortably on a mat or bed and plant your palms on the knees.
- Then lean forward in this position and inhale.
- Hold your breath for 2 to 3 seconds, and exhale.
- When you exhale, you need to open your mouth wide open and stretch your tongue out.
- You must try to touch your chin with your tongue.
- Stretch your fingers wide open and look between your eyebrows.
- Stretch out your tongue for 20 to 30 seconds and then release.
- Relax and come back to normal.
The Sinha Mudra is very helpful for stimulating the thyroid gland, toning your face, increasing blood flow and providing a natural glow to the skin.
6. Cheek puff
Another effective way of making your face look slimmer is by increasing blood circulation to the face muscles. Cheek puffs work on strengthening and toning these muscles so that the face looks slimmer. Puffing your cheeks can help improve the blood circulation to these areas and work on creating a shapely look. This is a very easy exercise to reduce cheek fat.
Method:
- For doing this, you need to inflate your mouth and hold it for at least 15 seconds.
- Then, by using your cheek muscles, move air towards the right for 15 seconds there.
- Repeat the same with the left side and then exhale.
- You need to repeat this a minimum of 7 to 10 times to get better blood circulation.
Other Ways to Reduce Face Fat
1. Eating well
Eating well is important for losing extra fat. When fat-storing tissues of your body have excess fat, that fat is transferred to different parts of your body such as the face, hips, waist etc. Exercises for losing weight and effective fat loss can help in reducing overall face fat.
Keep a balanced diet, focus on macro and micronutrients so that you lose body fat and slim down on your face fat. Focus on whole food groups, eat vegetables, fruits, nuts, unprocessed grains and get enough protein. Eating well can also help in reducing bloating and make your face look slimmer and radiant.
Refrain from diets that are heavy on refined carbohydrates. These are calorie-dense and have excess salt and sugar, contributing to the consumption of higher calories and causing excessive fat deposits over time. Eat fresh, wholesome meals at home and choose good-quality, tasty ingredients that are nutrient-dense and provide satiety.
Also Read: 13 Protein Rich Food Veg in India According to a Dietitian
2. Stay hydrated
Staying hydrated can help flush out the excess salt from your body, contributing to water retention. It can also help you control bloating, remove excess sodium, and make your face look normal and slimmer.
3. Cut down your salt intake
Water retention is another reason for the face looking fat. Excess salt in the diet causes water retention in body tissues. This causes swelling, bloating, and puffiness in different body areas and makes your face, among other parts, look fat.
Thus, you must select fresh, wholesome ingredients and control your salt intake. Avoid processed foods, which are always high in salt.
4. Prioritize your sleep
Good sleep can do wonders for your health. Often, when you are deprived of sleep or have an irregular sleeping cycle, your face may look puffy. Good sleep can help you function better, prevent weight gain, make your face look less puffy and thus decrease the overall fat in the face.
5. Work out
Good workouts can help in burning extra calories. Over time, these can help tone your body, lose body weight, and reduce overall body fat. Overall reduction in body fat can also cause loss of face fat and provide you with a slim and shaped face. Include face fat reducing exercises in your workout every day.
Reasons Behind Face Fat
An accumulation of face fat can be caused due to several reasons. These can be:
1. Excess body fat
Obesity or excessive body fat can majorly contribute to excessive body fat. Obesity refers to a condition where a person's body mass index is 30 or above. It is characterised by the excessive deposition of fat in different body tissues.
It is a lifestyle disorder and can cause several other non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension, stroke, etc. Excess body fat can be one reason for high face fat, and losing overall body fat can help in lowering face fat. Face thinning exercises can help in muscle stimulation and movement.
2. Thyroid disorders
Another factor that can make your face look fat is the activity of thyroid disorders. The thyroid gland is located under the neck region. Many thyroid hormones control the body’s metabolism. This gland, with a thyroid disorder, can be under or overactive. This can cause swelling of the face.
Several other reasons for excessive face fat are:
- Genetics
- Poor lifestyle
- Lack of exercise
- Ageing
- High salt intake
- An overactive or underactive thyroid gland
- Lack of sleep
What Is the Difference Between Puffy Face and Fat Face?
While both puffy and fat face makes your face look bigger overall, it is important to identify if it's a puffy face or a face with an excessive fat deposit.
A puffy face shows up suddenly in a matter of a day and can be because of bloating, inflammation, excessive water retention or an infection in the body. This can also be caused by inflammation of the salivary glands or allergic reactions to allergens such as animal dander, bee stings, pollen, etc.
Another reason your skin can swell up is cellulitis, which causes redness, tenderness and swelling of the facial region.
A fatty face is caused because of excessive fat deposition in the body. It can be attributed to overall fat deposits in the body.
A puffy face can go away in a few days, while face fat needs an effective workout regime, face thinning exercises and proper nutrition to lose the overall weight and lose face fat effectively.
Summing Up on Face Fat Reducing Exercise
Effective face fat reducing exercises can help tone facial muscles, provide better blood circulation, and enhance the way your face looks. Face exercises thus effectively stimulate the muscles, provide them with the required movement and make the overall area look slimmer.
FAQs
Q1. Does chewing gum reduce face fat?
Ans. Yes, chewing gum can help in reducing face fat by making the muscles look toned. For this, you need to choose a sugar-free gum and blow bubbles for at least 15 to 20 minutes a day. It will help in stimulating the facial muscles and tone them.
Q2. Which food reduces face fat?
Ans. There is no specific food that can help in reducing face fat. You should consume a balanced, minimally processed diet rich in fruits and vegetables. It should be low on salt, sugar, and alcohol to effectively reduce overall face fat. No single food contributes to face fat reduction.
Q3. Why is my face so fat?
Ans. Your face can gain fats because of hormones, genetics, high body fat percentage, a highly-processed diet, a sedentary lifestyle, high salt intake, and excessive alcohol consumption.
References
- Murad Alam, Anne J. Walter, MD, MBA,Amelia Geisler, March 2017; Association of Facial Exercise With the Appearance of Aging - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5885810/
- Raina D’souza, Ashwini Kini, Henston D’souza, Nitin Shetty, August 2014; Enhancing Facial Aesthetics with Muscle Retraining Exercises-A Review- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4190816/
- Rumiko Okamoto, Katsuyoshi Mizukami, 2018; The effective of facial exercises on the mental health in elderly adults - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29503371/
- Rumiko Okamoto, Toshie Manabe, and Katsuyoshi Mizukami, November 2021; Effects of Facial Muscles Exercise on Mental Health: A Systematic Review - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8623932/
