Back in our hunter gatherer days,  we didn’t have a term for resistance training. Or at least it stands to reason that we didn’t. It wasn’t necessary. We got it on a regular basis all the same.

We built our own thatch-roofed hamlets and stone hovels; we’d hunt wild fare with spears and do our own farming. You know, everything that we’re now content to source from somewhere else or rely on robots to do for us. While those folks certainly got in their daily fitness, they probably neglected that part of themselves which is generally the first thing others notice upon introduction: our faces, no different than how we operate today.

But on that same token, despite the more active lifestyle, we didn’t care so much about maintaining a youthful face. Basic survival was a greater concern and members of that society weren’t likely to live enough to merit worrying about it.

Today, resistance training is pretty panoramic: Basically, anyone at the gym not setting off alarms for caroming their dumb bells against the floor at the end of a set, is pretty much doing it (Although, if you’re a little loose with the definition, they count, too). The folks  burning calories on the treadmills, ellipticals, and pedaling away on bikes are doing it, as are those jamming away in Zumba class. But most relevant example for us are those you see performing body weight repetitions or using actual resistant bands.

Resistance-based exercise is important because it tones muscles in addition to building them, without concern for injury as there is in weight lifting. It burns calories and leads to greater vitality and boosted energy.

Today we don’t have the cavemen excuse to just let our faces become flaccid and idle away.  Here’s how the Facial Flex–which is made up of two components held together by a flex band that comes in different strength levels–works: You place the apparatus between the corners of your mouth and you compress your cheeks so that your mouth becomes an ‘O’ and you do this repeatedly.

Complete a series of repetitions during the course of a couple of brief daily intervals, if that’s a routine that suits you. In about as much time as it takes to brush your teeth, you’re completing your facial fitness routine using resistance training.

Unless you’re a circus strongman, you’re not likely to stumble into situations that brings resistance training to you naturally. You’re not a caveman.You won’t find facial resistance exercises at the gym or on the basketball courts either. It’s something that you have to seek out, which is why we’re glad you’re here. Soon enough you’ll discover the benefits of facial resistance training. And for all those serious gym-heads reading this, look: Keep track here with our Facial Flex progress charts, just as you would at the gym.