Ageless if you Dare - Loulou's Facial Exercises
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free skin care · Mon Nov 17, 2008 11:26 am

This is a thread for discussion of Ageless if you Dare - Loulou's Facial Exercises http://www.lulu.com/content/4463137

The discussion of the exercises started on Do you do Facial Exercises? thread
http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=17697&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=0

free skin care · Mon Nov 17, 2008 1:24 pm

Kassy_A wrote:

Great thread, thank you!

Could you please tell me, (if you know), how many pages the 'download' version is? I'm thinking printing it out would be more convenient..

Thanks!

Hi Kassy

The download and the book are both 111 pages (I've just added specific info about handling the skin rather than just suggesting people do it!) The book is probably easier to deal with... it's a bit more expensive because obviously it costs more to produce, but not much.

mpstat, thank you again

((((hugs)

Loulou

free skin care · Mon Nov 17, 2008 1:28 pm

Mpstat, you beat me to it....I wrote LL and suggested this very thing last night! Thanks!

Kassy, the download is 106 pages. But you really only need to print the sections with the exercises (a much smaller quantity).

free skin care · Mon Nov 17, 2008 1:34 pm

I'm so glad you made this a separate thread, mpstat, cuz it is quite worthy of it! I have been doing my Ageless exercises for 3 days now and I'm impressed at how quickly I can get thru them. I can feel the muscles working too! The lip exercises are my favorite - I can see it working already, and I am more conscious now of how I hold my face....avoiding that droopy, scowl-y, lips-pressed-together look!

As I said before, I am happy that I don't have to place my fingers into my mouth to achieve the cheek exercises - I'm weird about that! I was seeing some great results with FE, but am happy I don't need to spend as much time now, and look forward to getting that beautiful jawline and neck that LouLou has! Thanks so much LouLou for your book and to mpstat for posting this separate thread =). Go for it, Kassy! I downloaded the pages and placed them between plastic sleeves and into a ring-binder....I'm not good at waiting for mail to arrive....I had to get started - time's a-wastin'....

free skin care · Mon Nov 17, 2008 3:05 pm

It's amazing how excited buying new 'rejuvenating' stuff gets me... In my haste to download, I forgot to enable "double sided printing", and had to keep filling the paper.. Sad

Just want to throw that reminder out there..

In the mean-time, I can't wait to dig into this book! Just from the little bit I saw while printing, it looks concise, to the point, and tons of info in 111 pages.. (I can't wait to dig into the "cheek" chapter, because I really think that's the secret to a youthful look.)

LouLou, you rock.... Dancing

I'm off to relieve DH of one of his 'binders', and dig out the hole puncher......I'm so excited, I can't stand it..

free skin care · Mon Nov 17, 2008 7:35 pm

I have FE and love it. I think many of us who do FE are also happy to incorporate another approach which works in a shorter way. Lou Lou and her book "Ageless if you Dare" has provided this. For me - I have been alternating now and I am DELIGHTED for this opportunity. No longer feeling guilty for "missing" a day. I used to read on FE - mostly Sean who is so knowledgable and stresses the importance of the everyday - all 40 and I think he is right. The tone and commitment and work out is important and feels great. But for me when I would miss a day or two I'd feel like a failure and that I had lost out on time and no way to make it up.... Now, when time gets tight or even if I have other things, I can manage a hard core 5 minutes - and LOVE IT when I can't do the 30. I feel the muscles working hard, know I'm doing something and the results are obvious. Feel like I have the best of both worlds. Thanks Lou Lou. Very Happy

Hugs,
Sis

free skin care · Wed Nov 19, 2008 11:49 am

carolb69 wrote:

I purchased the book the other day and its very informative.I cant seem to grab the flesh too well either and find when i push up i lose my grip completely.

I have been just pushing the areas in as resistance. In fact id already been doing similar esercises anyway!

I dont like how much the skin around my eyes crease up though when i raise the cheeks Shock

I didnt get pages 107-111 should i just email you for them loulou? Very Happy

Hi Carol,

Yes, just email me and I'll send you the extra pages for sure. Smile

Even if you're pressing the thumb and fingers into the face to hold the chunk of flesh, you should be feeling the muscle trying to push the thumb and fingers apart as you contract it, so try to maintain the finger/thumb position instead of just pressing down the general area, so that you are having a bit of a change from your usual routine if you're already doing resistance exercises.

Be brave about the skin crinkling round the eyes. It doesn't matter about that so long as you're strengthening the facial muscles (including the eye muscles) and encouraging them to lie flat. Chapter 1 of Ageless has a section about this Cool

((((hugs)

and thanks so much for buying my book!

LL Smile

free skin care · Sun Nov 23, 2008 1:51 am

Kassy_A wrote:

LouLou, thanks for sorting me out, and giving me a good hearty laugh to boot .. Laughing

Kassy, you are a very good natured person! Instead of cringing at my many botched attempts to send correct download I'm laughing every time I think about it

. Bless you

free skin care · Thu Nov 27, 2008 7:21 pm

cross-posting....

bethany wrote:

Kassy_A wrote:

Take Care wrote:

Hi Bethany,

I took your advice and ordered "Ageless if you dare"..

I wish it was a video.. how do you know if your doing the exercises correctly?

For instance.. exercise #1.. says.. "Now use the muscle to lift the cheeks straight up towards the center of the eye." Can you explain that?

Also it would be nice to see someone holding on to their face with a firm grip to see how the excercise is actually preformed...

Thank you

Hi Take care, I'm a visual learner also, and find it so much easier to watch a video. I also could do with a more in depth instruction for a few of the exercises..

LouLou is happy to answer our questions, and she's got a great talent for explaining it all..

Maybe LouLou could find a way to post a Youtube video for us?

I'll ask over on the Ageless thread.

free skin care · Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:22 pm

m1rox wrote:

Just looking at a video alone wouldn't help completely in doing the exercises. For some of them, you wouldn't be able to see the muscle moving because the movement is so small. You can only appreciate it when you tense up the correct muscle. The video would be more for checking that we correctly position our fingers on the various parts of the face. We still have to read the book and the description of the exercises to fully appreciate it. Hmm...we wouldn't expect her to do this for free....after all, it takes time and trouble for her to do this. And her previous experience as a Flexeffects trainer does have value....so maybe we would have to pay for the video?

Actually, in thinking about this further, doing a YouTube video would essentially give the book away for free. So let's trash that idea. Maybe LouLou could do some webcam classes for a fee for people who need additional guidance?

Any time I was confused, I went back to the book and made sure that I:

1) Understood which muscle I need to be working
2) Practiced the facial movement BEFORE I grabbed any skin
3) Pinched the flesh as directed based on the pictures AND words
4) Could actually FEEL that muscle moving
5) Focused and made sure that I was not moving any unnecessary muscles at the same time (ex: I found myself frowning when I was squinting my eyes)

This is not just about grabbing your face and contorting it....it is about thinking and focusing on muscle resistance. You can't just mimic what you see on a video...it is more involved than that.

Think about it as exercising your brain cells and your patience until you get the hang of it.

free skin care · Fri Dec 12, 2008 4:52 am

Loulou, I've just put the videos into my Photobucket account. They're hilarious to watch but SO HELPFULL. I'm now more enthused about doing the exercises because I can see exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. That's if I can do them without laughing (sorry!)

BTW you are absolutely lovely - and thanks for making the video for us.

free skin care · Fri Dec 12, 2008 7:23 am

Keliu wrote:

Loulou, I've just put the videos into my Photobucket account. They're hilarious to watch but SO HELPFULL. I'm now more enthused about doing the exercises because I can see exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. That's if I can do them without laughing (sorry!)

BTW you are absolutely lovely - and thanks for making the video for us.

Keliu, what a lovely post x

Stop laughing immediately! This is a very serious business!

(((((hugs)

)

free skin care · Fri Dec 12, 2008 7:39 am

Just received my book yesterday, read the whole thing last night and am excited to start training! I think I will try the exercises first by themselves, but will look at the DVD later.

Otherloulou, thank you so much for all you're doing! I will contact you soon for the DVD link.

One thing I'm really happy about is that the time commitment for "training" isn't that onerous - especially now when my life is absolutely crazy with the holidays. This is my Christmas present to myself - a new and improved face, eventually! I've been reading all the posts on this topic and hope I start seeing changes in my face soon. I will post about them.

Otherloulou, I love the way you've written the book, your descriptions of the exercises themselves, and your sections on our mental outlook, emotions about our appearance as we get older. Isn't it ironic that as soon as we are comfortable and confident about ourselves and our lives, our looks start to betray us? I believe that affects men, too, not just women. Your expression, feeling "invisible", nails it. Not that my happiness depends on attention - far from that. It's hard to put words on that feeling. Maybe a desire to have our faces better reflect our interior selves. I have to ponder that some more. We all need boosts and I for one will take them wherever I can find them! If my results are a teensy bit of what yours have been, otherloulou, I will be thrilled!

Fri Dec 12, 2008 7:41 am

Quote:

Hi Colli

I used to have quite a lot of broken veins on my cheeks (which I've since had zapped with electrolysis), but I haven't got any from pinching or pulling my skin. I think there are two different things... the red veins that need professional treatment and the temporary things that you might get from applying too much pressure, like those marks you get from sucking the skin (we used to call them hickeys as teenagers in the UK), which will disappear in a few days. I'm not sure what causes the permanent ones, but pretty certain it's a different kettle of fish altogether LL x

Thank you so much for putting my mind at ease. You're an absolute star! As a UK resident myself, I know exactly what you mean when you mention "hickeys". I've been in the unfortunate position of my boyfriend's Mother pointing one out to me!!! Embarassed

LouLou, your program has been a Godsend. I have been doing the exercises faithfully for over a week now and continue to see ever greater results. I will admit that I've been supplementing your exercises with the infamous "kiss the ceiling" one and the Facial Flex. Nevertheless, my cheeks have definitely lifted, and speaking as someone who has the classic "heavy face", it's been overwhelming to see such improvement in so short a time. My skin looks a lot more firm too. Woo-hoo!

free skin care · Sat Dec 13, 2008 4:04 pm

Kassy_A wrote:

mpstat wrote:

The videos are great, and in such short turn around time!!! Thank you so much LouLou! Pray

There were two videos for day one and day two. Are videos for extra monthly exercises are coming? No pressure here, just asking Wink

And maybe a little massage around the eye thrown in ... Pretty please with sugar on top.. Pray

Yes, I'm on the case Very Happy

xx

free skin care · Sun Dec 14, 2008 7:44 pm

Antonia wrote:

I'm reading the pages I do have and it is really fascinating. I don't have any pics of her but I saw the cover on the website. More and more, I am beginning to disbelieve much of the stuff I have learned over the years on the care of the skin (including never to do facial exercises or treat the skin in an aggressive way as in dermarolling.

I am going to post some pics of LL since they are already on the web. The AFTER shot is when she first started with facial exercise, but I think her face has become even more refined since she developed her own program (as seen in the videos).

LouLou - PM me if you want me take them down!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

free skin care · Wed Dec 17, 2008 9:49 pm

Lowbrowscientist wrote:

ellie213 wrote:

i am mainly concerned with building up my face as its thin so do your exercises do this even though they take much less time or are they better for lifting and toning but the flexeffect is better for building as they are more comprehensive? thanks

elena

Hey there elena,

Ageless is just as good, for actually building the face, as Flex Effect.

Loulou's system just uses a different strategy, with regards to the exercise routine and timing, and she offers a different way to actually do the exercises.

There are a few of us here who own both programs, including me, and I definitely prefer Loulou's system. The muscles she focuses on are the specific muscles that will benefit from being built, and she reserves the rest for occasional routines just to keep them firm. This gives you the same, or (in my opinion) better results in way less time .

Others may have different opinions, of course, but for me, Ageless was a very good investment.

Hope that helps a little Smile

Edited to add: I don't mean to disparage or criticize Flex Effect in any way, I hope I'm not coming across that way. I really like what FE did for my face, and I see the Ageless routine as an improvement on FE.

I have to agree with Low...I own both programs, and found the time commitment on Flex Effect to be far too much for me. But everyone can find 5 mins a day to do the facial exercises...even if you have to do one everytime you go to the bathroom!

Flex Effect is indeed more comprehensive, and works all kinds of little muscles. But Ageless concentrates on the muscles that pull the skin up and out across the face to avoid the sag, and you see results quickly. Plus, her program allows your muscles time to rest and repair....something Flex Effect does not do, often resulting in a tired look.

If I can achieve an improved look with Ageless, spend less time doing it, and avoid the "tired look" and "overbuilding" issues, I'll stick with the Ageless program. However, should I find somewhere down the road that other things are sagging that Ageless does not address, I will definitely pull the Flex Effect book back out. But as I have stated before, Ageless is the best $10 purchase I made in 2008, without a doubt.

BTW, LouLou's video shows her face looking even better than in her Flex Effect pics, so the change to her own program is obviously working for her.

free skin care · Fri Dec 19, 2008 10:38 am

bren21 wrote:

LouLou....Which inbox do I check? Nothing at Lulu.com, here or in my hotmail as of yet:)....

But, happy to say I couldn't wait and tried out the day one exercises already! ha ha...I will be curious to see if I did them correctly. One question though that I was not clear on, do I do the exercises every day (alternating day 1 and day 2) or do I take a day off here and there. Wasn't real clear on that because in the book you mention the resting period which is very important. Wanted to make sure what you meant by the "resting" period...if that means the time in between the daily exercises or if you actually have to take a day off of exercising.

So....to report my first day of facial exercising......I can REALLY feel it in my cheeks!! They have that "tired" muscle feeling you get after a good workout at the gym....WOW!...also did the massage technique as well...face is feeling a bit invigorated so to speak at the moment. Took before photos and noticed that my face is totally asymmetrical...I smoked out of the left side of my mouth and after taking the head on shots of my face, noticed that my left side "droops" more than my right!! UGH!!! Even my lips are lop-sided!! (This isn't so much noticeable while looking in the mirror at myself, not sure why it is so noticeable to me looking at my photo??) Will these exercises help bring my face back to a more symmetrical state LouLou?? Or am I stuck with this lop-sided look forever?? YIKES!!

Oh dear Bren, I PMed you earlier today, but you haven't got it I can't find it in my sent box either Confused

Just tried again.

The alternate days are a sort of built in rest, you don't need other days off, although there's no harm in having them Cool

Everyone's face looks bad in close up pics because the camera makes anything in the foreground look massive (including nose, chin and breasts). It's like those pics you see when someone's feet are towards the camera and look emormous. I think professionals use a zoom lens to avoid this, but you look like you do in the mirror not in the photo yay!

Your face should become equally strong on both sides over time, but don't worry too much. I have one of the most asymmetrical faces ever, and nobody else registers it much at all Cool

LL

free skin care · Fri Dec 19, 2008 11:03 pm

Kassy_A wrote:

Beth, are you doing exercises everyday, or every other?

I do either Day 1 or Day 2, but not on the same day. So I would like to add 10 more reps to each exercise, which extends my daily time commitment very little.

I prefer to work each Day as intensely as I can, and I suspect that I would lose some of the intensity if I did both Days on the same day. (but that's just me...everyone else has to do what is right for them and their schedule)

free skin care · Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:56 pm

carolb69 wrote:

mpstat wrote:

otherloulou wrote:

... Oh and you can certainly get the same results as me, grip however is easiest! I only do mine once a week or so now, if that.

LouLou thank yo so much for all the work you have done it is very much appreciated!!!

You do exercises only once a week? Do you combine Day1+Day2 exercises in one set, and do them one time a week?

Id guess that loulou was aleady nicely toned from the flexeffect system and is now just needing to maintain results? Just a guess....

The rest of us would need to do more than a day id say.

Hi Carol

You're right that doing more than once a week is probably a good idea for most people (not mpstat though as I've seen her pic and she is firm of face and staggeringly Shock

gorgeous), but once a week would make a difference... like going to the gym once a week and doing 10 exercises would if you'd never worked out in your life Very Happy

((((( hugs)

) LL

free skin care · Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:06 pm

Kassy_A wrote:

LouLou, HELP!!! I'm a total nit-wit with the bloody massage, and so need a video...

Please, please, please, please... Pray

ETA: The good news is my little 'grape' cheeks are getting nice and squeezable.. Laughing

My goal is walnuts though.. Very Happy

Haha! Kassy you are funny! Laughing

As you know, I'm a bit of a nitwit myself! Very Happy

I will try to do another vid asap.... I'm going to take my dad to see our football (soccer) team lose again today, my mum's coming tomorrow, but my daughters are available to take the film so we should be able to do it pretty quickly one evening.

The massage doesn't have any special properties though.... any way you want to tug, press and squeeze your skin is good, and you'll do that a fair bit while you do the exercises. Cool

((((((hugs)

) Ll

free skin care · Mon Dec 22, 2008 1:27 am

Toby wrote:

Loulou,
Since you have become such a celebrity around here Laughing

I am sure many of us are curious about your actual progress in the transformation that has taken place with your face. So if you could please answer some questions.
1. What were your skin issues prior to facial exercises?
2.How long did it take for you to see a turn around with your skin?
3. How much did you train when you first began?
4.Also did you learn in the process that you think made the most difference in your transformation?
Toby

Hi Toby

I'll do my best!

1.When I started exercising my face I was conscious that my skin wasn't as firm as it used to be. There were pronounced folds nose-mouth and some loose skin over and under my eyes. Also I just had quite dull skin, a lot of blackheads (I still have a lot of blackheads!). But I didn't know much about the skin at all really, so I was more aware of it as it improved and didn't really know what to aim at until it started happening.

My skin was very thin and prematurely aged because of an early menopause... this happened a year after the 'before' pic on the cover was taken, and I have HRT now, so neither photo really reflects that issue, though.

2. This is really difficult, because my skin often looked much better when I'd laid off exercising for a few days and it repaired itself. So when it improved I wasn't very interested in it and wasn't paying it much attention, but each time it happened people just pointed out I was looking well.

However, once I began to make a conscious effort to challenge the skin itself rather than just the muscles underneath it there was a dramatic improvement within a month. 'Ageless' has quite a lot of skin tugging and stretching built into it, but a bit extra is good.

3. I wouldn't recommend people to train the way I did when I first began! I'd go overboard for a few days, spending over an hour a day, scrutinise my face for signs of progress, get fed up and do nothing for a fortnight Laughing

I spent a ot of time just trying to feel where the muscles were and make them ache so they would grow. If I'd known about my programme then I'd have done that, which would have cut down the repetitions and cut out a lot of exercises, but I'd probably still have done it 3 times a day for a week, then not for a month Embarassed

A fair comparison is how I used to train my backside... I spent years doing lunges, Stairmaster, floor exercises and never really felt the muscle. Then a few years ago I discovered if you kick your leg backwards (I mean kick, not swing it), then immediately kick it out to the side and repeat that 20 times each leg every couple of days, your butt miraculously begins to move up off the back of your legs Laughing

So now I just do that.

4. Gosh, that's a good question! Well, in practical terms I'd say see above, question 3... finding exercises that do the job quickly and effectively. I owe Deb Crowley bigtime also for telling everyone to pull at their skin... I didn't think that would damage the skin, but I was amazed how much difference it made. Also I think having strength and tone in the facial muscles gives you enormous confidence. I was going to write a long paragraph about celebs who blossomed when they found their own look, but you get the idea.

Toby, I owe you a PM also x

((((((hugs)

)

free skin care · Tue Jan 06, 2009 11:00 am

Sean,
I've been doing acupressure points (on and off) for almost 40 years. Originally I learned from Michio Kushi's books on Do-in(Japanese self 'massage')which i don't know are in print anymore, but are fabulous..and lately I've looked at utube videos just to see 'what's happening' in this arena. I also do have some of the books that you have mentioned..and am eager to look into the video that you posted that is like the 5 element method you learned in China

What is so important to me is the underlying theory of acupressure/acupuncture as related to the beauty of facial skin tone and structure as well as the over-all health of the body...because the energy flow through our organs, ie, the health of our internal organs, play so much a role in the beauty of our face.

I think Chinese medicinal theory is so helpful for all our beauty issues ...for example, in Chinese medicine, facial sagging would be related to spleen problems(not necessarily discernable to allopathic medical doctors,and not what we will normally think of as 'difficulties')because the spleen is responsible for maintaining the form and structural 'order' in the body (for example, when i don't eat well for my own body's needs,i tend to get painful bruises,spontaneously, through my limbs, which is spleen related, cause the spleen is responsible for the 'ordered' flow of blood through the right channels in the body. Also, the 11's folks speak of so much in these forum's is related, i'm almost positive, to liver function,and i can witness, literally, overnight, changes in my 11's depending on what i've eaten and how it effects my liver...and Chinese medicine relies so much on herbal healing as well as acupuncture/acupressure.

free skin care · Tue Jan 06, 2009 11:11 am

bren21 wrote:

But in regards to the direction of brushing...does it matter if you do circular or straight brushing? Is one or the other more beneficial? .

I love facial brushing and have sorely neglected it lately along with everything else.. Crying or Very sad

I use a plain old baby hairbrush, working from the forehead downward (along the lymphatic path), and include the whole neck, shoulders, chest and sides of ribcage..

Circular motions are great to loosen up all the toxins, and then follow with a straight downward movement, along the whole lymph channel... You will actually feel the lymph moving!

Be sure to be well hydrated with plenty of water beforehand, which will enable the toxins to freely move down and out.

Here is a search link from U-Tube, regarding lymphatic facial massage;

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lymphatic+facial+massage&search_type=&aq=f

Here is a search link from U-Tube, regarding acupressure facials;

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=acupressure+facial&search_type=&aq=1&oq=acupressure+fa

Hope that helps!

free skin care · Tue Jan 06, 2009 10:30 pm

Massage seems to help firm up the skin and keep lymph drainage good so that puffiness isn't an issue. I might not be able to do my facial exercises but I always do the massage and I don't get exact about a technique. I have had to stop facial exercises during a period of time due to dental work and kept the massage going and my face looked fine. If I didn't do the massage I think it would affect the firmness of my skin. Have I ever stopped massage since I have started? No it is kinda like brushing my teeth, I always do it because I like the way it feels and it is relaxing. I don't always go for broke because I don't need to. Sometimes 3-5 minutes is fine other times while watching TV I will do more, no hard fast rule.
Toby

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