It’s perhaps our least-favorite body part: the dreaded “turkey neck.” You know … the sagging skin under your chin that ruins a good photo, destroys your profile image, and screams “gobble gobble”? Because we couldn’t find any exercise machines that work your waddle, we went to Lisa Feldermann of Blink Fitness to tell us how to transform our “turkey necks.”
“This area of the body begins to sag due to flaccid muscles and excessive accumulation of fat,” Feldermann told us. In order to combat this excess chin-skin Feldermann gave us easy tips for keeping our skin healthy, and three at-home exercises to tighten-up our “turkey neck.”
1. Stay hydrated Hydrated skin is less likely to sag or wrinkle.
2. Maintain an overall healthy body fat percentage Since spot reduction in weight loss is nearly impossible, it’s important to keep an all-around lean body mass for optimal skin health (and for your general health as well). For women, this is 14 to 24 percent, and for men, this is 6 to 17 percent.
3. Do the following exercises daily Even though spot fat reduction is difficult, you can still tone strategic muscles. Here are Feldermann's three recommended exercises:
- Sit or stand up straight. Look up to the ceiling and with your mouth closed and begin a chewing motion. Do this for 30 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat 2 times.
- While still sitting or standing up straight, roll your lips over your teeth and open your mouth as wide as possible, then tilt your head back. Hold here for 30 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat 2 times.
- Lie on your bed with your head hanging off the edge. Slowly lift your head up until your neck is in line with your torso. Hold for 10 seconds, then lower slowly back towards the floor. Rest for 10 seconds and repeat 2 times.