Pucker & Pout

You’ve changed. Did you get a haircut? No. You’ve been exercising your face muscles, feeling that lactic-acid burn that comes when you push yourself to the point of muzzle failure. Called a non-surgical facelift, a new class at McHenry County College teaches you how to pout, pucker and smile until it hurts. Cynthia Hignight, 56, who teaches “Facercise” at MCC, said some could see results after the first session. She guarantees reversal of the effects of gravity and aging for those who stick to a regimen – working out five days a week, 11 minutes a workout. “Skeletal muscles are the same whether they’re your face or your body,” Hignight said. “You need to exercise them.” She prefers to keep classes to a maximum of eight so she can focus on each student. Two students attended Saturday. Sharon Rogalski, one of the students, said she took note of a recent Botox scare and wanted to maintain a youthful look “without using chemicals or knives.” With Hignight, Rogalski – a resident of Walworth County, Wis. – went through 14 grimaces and contortions to condition her 57 face and neck muscles. Hignight worked for 25 years as a marketing and sales manager and decided recently that she wanted to try another line of work. She plans to open a day spa in Wonder Lake. In October, Hignight flew to Redondo Beach, Calif., to study facial calisthenics under the tutelage of Carole Maggio, the 62-year-old creator of the Facercise program and author of a book on the subject. Maggio sold more than 3 million “Facercise” DVDs, available in English, Spanish and Japanese. She got the idea as a child watching fitness guru Jack LaLanne’s TV show. Maggio suggests that people wanting a symmetrical face – in addition to exercise – sleep on their backs with pillows under their knees. Sleeping on one side could cause an uneven countenance. According to Maggio’s program, signs of aging include low eyebrows, drooping eyelids, sagging jaw, a double chin, nose faults, thin lips and a crepe-like neck. Jowls, dewlaps and extra chins can be reduced with exercises that Maggio calls the cheek developer, face energizer, face narrower and nose shortener. “For all you people who never want a collagen injection,” Hignight told her class, “we have the advanced upper-lip shaper.” She told her students to curl the top lip under and expose the top row of teeth. “Tap the center of your upper lip with your index finger. Pull your nose tip down if you can.” Daily exercises can be done at one’s convenience, but she said good posture was important. Just one of the exercises requires the participant to lie down. “If you get interrupted halfway through, that’s OK,” Hignight said. “Just pick up where you left off later. That’s how forgiving it is. You only need to take this class once, and you’re good for the rest of your life. But you have to follow through and do the exercises.” “I’ve never had a tired head before,” Rogalski said after the workout. The next class at the college is from 10 a.m. to noon April 24 and costs $59. Interested? What: Facercise. When: Next class is from 10 a.m. to noon April 24. Where: McHenry County College, 8900 Route 14, Crystal Lake. Cost: $59. To sign up: (815) 455-8559. Facercize is a non-credit, continuing education class. Related Content: >> Click here to watch a video on this topic.