Painless, Pocket-Friendly Ways To Get Rid Of A Double Chin

Having a double chin could be a sign of being over-weight, age or poor diet. The elasticity in the skin around the neck and chin area can be delicate with sagging beginning to start as early as our 20s. The two main muscles in the neck are the sternocleidomastoid and platysma which help tighten the neck and facial area preventing a double chin from forming. Regular exercise using these muscles can definitely help bring your chin back to its former glory but it’s often a myth that using facial exercises alone will get rid of a double chin altogether – a combination of diet, exercise and lifestyle can help reduce the amount of double chin you have.

General sagging due to age can be hard to reverse but there are ways you can prevent further sagging and give a helping hand to the elasticity of the skin. Going under the knife and paying for expensive surgery is one way of dealing with it but if you want a painless, natural way to rid your dreaded double chin then here are ten habits to incorporate into your daily life and help achieve results.

1. Optimizing Your Nutrition

Nutrition is essential if you want to get rid of a double chin. Nutrient-rich foods will not only keep your skin healthy but a healthy, low calorie diet that avoids overly sugary or fatty foods will maintain your overall body fat. Excess fat can pile up around the face so making sure you have a good diet will eliminate and reduce the amount of fat you carry around this area including the chin.

Always make sure that you don’t crash diet as sudden weight loss can promote sagging of the skin even in the facial area. If your double chin is down to excess fat then make sure you lose weight gradually and healthily and give the skin good time to adapt.

2. Drinking Plenty Of Water

Drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated may not seem like a way to get rid of a double chin but not only is water great for overall skin health, it helps regulate our metabolism and burn unnecessary excess fat including that around the face and neck. Water is also essential to maintain elasticity in the skin which will prevent too much ageing and sagging. So make sure you keep yourself hydrated at all times to ensure you’re on the right track to losing that second chin.

3. Cardiovascular Exercise

Along with your diet, exercise is a much-needed routine that will get rid of, and prevent a double chin from forming. Cardiovascular exercise is great at blasting fat from all areas of the body including your chin. Anything from running to cycling, swimming to aerobic workouts will promote weight loss around the whole body.

4. Weight Training

A combination of cardiovascular exercise and weight training will really help reduce your double chin. While a cardiovascular routine will help reduce your overall body fat including your double chin, resistance training is key to tightening your muscles in the entire body and increasing metabolism. Incorporating weights into your exercise regime will tackle the reduction in that chin wobble as it’s all about preserving lean muscle mass even in the face and neck.

5. Correct Posture To Get Rid Of A Double Chin

Creating and maintaining good posture is not only a benefit to your back but will help strengthen the jaw muscles which will prevent fat build-up around the chin. Of course, tightening your jaw muscles through good posture is brilliant at temporarily hiding your double chin. Keeping your shoulders back and head high over your shoulders while keeping a nice, straight back will do wonders. Make sure that you have an ergonomic chair if you’re sitting at a desk for long periods to encourage good posture throughout the day.

6. Moisturizing The Skin

Taking care of your skin is essential when it comes to a double chin. Along with good nutrition, exercise and water, moisturising the area around your neck, face and chin will help prevent sagging and keep the health of your skin to an optimum. You can go out and purchase a good quality moisturising cream such as cocoa butter but coconut oil or wheat germ oil can be just as effective. Make sure you moisturise on a daily basis to promote good elasticity in the skin and prevent sagging or stretching from excess fat.

7. Vitamin E To Supplement Your Skin

As well as moisturizing your skin, making sure you are getting enough Vitamin E is important in optimizing your skin health. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant which protects cell membranes. You should be able to get a good amount of Vitamin E from your diet such as consuming olive oil, nuts and seeds, green leafy vegetables such as spinach, along with avocado and fish. If you feel you aren’t getting enough in your diet you can take a good quality supplement making sure not to exceed 540mg a day.

8. Chewing Gum To Help Tone Muscles

Chewing sugar-free gum can help give your jaw and facial muscles a workout. Although this alone will not get rid of a double chin, it will promote fat burn around the face through the constant movement of chewing. This will add another dimension to your overall double-chin blasting, lifestyle regime.

9. Using A Glycerin Face Mask

Promoting the overall health of the skin, glycerin has been known to have a great hydration effect as well as healing skin complaints. Applying a face mask to your neck and chin area will help promote good skin condition. Here’s how to make your own homemade mask.

• Mix 1 tablespoon of glycerin (purchased from a good pharmacy) with 1/2 tablespoon of Epsom salt and a few drops of wheat germ oil.
• Apply the mixture to the neck and chin area with a cotton pad.
• Leave it on the skin for a few minutes to allow it to soak in.
• Wash off with warm water.
• Repeat 3-5 times a week as a good skincare regime.

10. Facial Exercises To Get Rid Of A Double Chin

Facial exercises that target the areas around the neck and chin can be part of your daily routine to banish a double chin. Stretching and strengthening the muscles will promote tightening but is not an overall solution to getting rid of a double chin altogether. As part of a good exercise and diet regime, the two muscles (sternocleidomastoid and platysma) can be stretched and strengthened through regular exercises.

Neck Rolls

This exercise can be done standing up or sitting down but it’s important to keep your back and spine straight while doing this exercise.

• Start with moving your chin over to your right shoulder.
• Keeping your head down, slowly move to a central position
• Move your chin over to the left shoulder. You should feel the tension in your neck and chin.
• Repeat 10-15 times.

Working the Platysma Muscle

This muscle connects from your jawline to your shoulder and it the best muscle to target when getting rid of a double chin.

• Open up your mouth nice and wide.
• Pull your bottom lip tight over your bottom teeth.
• Move your jaw up and down.
• Repeat this 10-15 times.

Sky Pout

This exercise tones the muscles in the chin, neck and jaw.

• Keeping your back and spine straight, slowly tilt back your head so you are looking skyward.
• Pucker your lips so that they form a pout.
• Hold this position for 5 seconds and then release.
• Repeat 10-15 times.

Featured photo credit: Rory MacLeod via flickr.com

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Source: Fashion