Jowls Getting Worse? What to Fix Before Jawline Exercises

Nobody warns you how fast one little jowl can send you down a YouTube rabbit hole.

You hear someone say that a defined jawline is one of those features we associate with youth. Then one day you catch yourself from the side in a mirror and think...

Wait. Was that there before?

Maybe your jawline looks softer.

Maybe you are starting to notice jowls.

Maybe your neck suddenly looks a little more like what you jokingly call your “turkey neck.”

And now you are searching:

How do I tighten my jawline?
What exercises get rid of jowls?
Does mewing work?
How do I strengthen my neck?

I know that rabbit hole because I went down it too.

And I wish someone had told me much earlier:

Before you start exercising your jawline harder, look at how you are positioning and using it all day long.

My First “Oh... I’m Aging” Moment Was My Neck

The first place I really started noticing aging in my own face was my neck.

It looked softer than it used to.

So naturally, I went online looking for something I could do about it.

I found a woman demonstrating one of those jaw exercisers you place between your teeth and repeatedly bite down on.

The logic sounded reasonable.

Strengthen the muscles around the jaw and create a stronger-looking jawline.

So, of course, I tried it.

Instead of admiring my beautifully sculpted jawline afterward, I ended up with a jaw that hurt.

I also tried one of those straps you wrap around your head to supposedly hold everything back up.

Nope.

And yes, eventually I found my way to mewing too.

I kept looking for the next exercise, gadget or trick because I thought the question was:

“What can I do to work this area harder?”

Eventually, I realized I needed to ask a completely different question:

“What am I already doing with this area for the other 23 hours of my day?”

That changed the way I approached face exercise.

Before Jawline Exercises, Look at Your Posture

My background in fitness made this make perfect sense once I saw it.

If you walked into a gym and performed a squat with poor form, I would not hand you heavier weights and tell you to do another 50 repetitions.

I would correct your position first.

Then we would exercise.

I approach the face and neck the same way.

Posture first. Exercise second.

Your jaw does not live in isolation.

It is connected to your head position, neck, shoulders, tongue and the way you carry tension throughout the day.

So if you are worried about jowls or a softening jawline, I want you to notice a few things before searching for another jaw exercise.

Where Is Your Head Sitting?

Take a picture of yourself from the side sometime when you are working on your computer or scrolling your phone.

Is your head stacked comfortably over your shoulders?

Or has your chin traveled several inches toward the screen while the rest of your body stayed behind?

Now think about how many hours you spend there.

This is why I care about posture far beyond the few minutes we spend intentionally exercising.

We cannot look only at the exercise and ignore the position we repeatedly return to throughout the day.

What Is Your Jaw Doing When You Aren’t Thinking About It?

This one surprised me.

Pay attention the next time you are concentrating, answering email, driving through traffic or dealing with something stressful.

Are your teeth clenched?

Are your lips gripping?

Are you tightening the muscles around your mouth?

Is your jaw actually resting?

Jaw clenching and teeth grinding are recognized habits associated with jaw pain and temporomandibular disorders. Mayo Clinic also recommends awareness of clenching and describes a relaxed resting jaw posture with the teeth apart rather than continuously pressed together.

That does not mean every woman who clenches her jaw has TMD.

It means tension is worth noticing.

And this is where doing more jaw exercises can sometimes miss the point.

If an area is already working overtime, I want to understand what it is doing before I give it another job.

Your face is not an area where harder automatically means better.

Your Sleep Posture Counts Too

Here is one women often overlook.

Posture does not end when you climb into bed.

You may do a 10-minute face routine in the morning and then spend seven or eight hours every night with one side of your face pressed into your pillow.

That does not mean side sleeping automatically “caused” your jowls or facial asymmetry.

But if you always sleep on the same side and regularly wake with one side of your jaw or neck feeling tight, it is another habit worth noticing.

Rather than panicking about it, become curious.

Which side do you sleep on?

Do you wake with jaw tension?

Does one side feel tighter than the other?

Sometimes simply paying attention starts connecting dots you had never thought to connect.

Could Jaw Tension Be Making Your Face Look Different?

This is where I want to be careful.

There are many reasons our jawline and lower face change in midlife.

Skin, underlying tissues, facial structure, aging, genetics, body composition and other factors can all be part of the picture.

I would never tell you that fixing your posture will magically erase every jowl.

What I will tell you is that your posture and tension habits are things you can actually become aware of and work with.

And that is empowering.

Instead of standing in front of the mirror pulling your skin backward and wondering how you are going to stop getting older, you can begin asking:

How am I carrying myself?

Where am I holding unnecessary tension?

What happens to my jaw when I am stressed?

What position am I repeating for hours every day?

Those questions are much more useful than:

What gadget should I buy next?

A Quick Note About TMJ Pain

One woman reached out to me before I recorded this episode and specifically asked about TMJ.

Here is where I want to make an important distinction.

TMJ technically refers to the temporomandibular joint. TMD refers to disorders involving that joint and the muscles involved in jaw movement.

Symptoms can include jaw pain or tenderness, difficulty chewing, locking, facial pain, neck pain, or painful clicking. Clicking by itself without pain or restricted movement does not necessarily require treatment.

If you have significant jaw pain, locking or difficulty opening and closing your mouth, I do not want you forcing your way through a jaw exercise because somebody online told you it would sharpen your jawline.

That is a conversation to have with an appropriate dentist or healthcare professional.

Pain is information.

Listen to it.

Facial Asymmetry Is Not Always a Face-Exercise Problem

The same principle applies to facial asymmetry.

Maybe you have always had one side that moves differently.

Maybe you chew predominantly on one side.

Maybe you notice differences connected to posture or muscle habits.

But facial asymmetry can also have medical causes.

For example, facial weakness or drooping may occur after a stroke because the areas of the brain responsible for voluntary muscle control have been affected. Rehabilitation in that situation is more than simply exercising one side harder.

The Bigger Benefit of Better Posture Has Nothing to Do With Jowls

This may actually be my favorite part.

Women often start working on posture because they want their neck or jawline to look better.

And yes, those visual changes can be fun.

But I notice something else.

A woman begins carrying herself differently.

Her head comes up.

She stops folding her shoulders forward.

She looks more sure of herself when she enters a room.

She takes up space.

And people respond differently to a woman who carries herself with confidence.

That matters even more to me than the jawline.

Because midlife can quietly become a season of shrinking.

You stand behind everyone else in the picture.

You stop volunteering to be on camera.

You walk into a room already wondering whether anyone is going to notice you or take you seriously.

Then something as simple as posture begins changing the way you show up.

You lift your head.

Your chest opens.

Your jaw relaxes.

And suddenly something that began because you wanted to work on your jowls starts affecting the way you carry yourself everywhere else.

Jesus told His followers:

“You are the light of the world.”
— Matthew 5:14

A light is supposed to be seen.

I want you to take care of your face.

I want you to enjoy looking beautiful.

But I also want the woman underneath all of that care to become more willing to SHINE.

Because she remembers who she is.

Try This Before Another Jawline Exercise

For the next few days, I want you to do something incredibly simple.

Every time you pick up your phone, use it as a cue.

Check three things:

Head. Shoulders. Jaw.

Where is your head?

What are your shoulders doing?

Is your jaw gripping or resting?

You do not need to spend the entire day monitoring your face.

You are simply training yourself to notice something that was previously happening automatically.

That awareness is where I want you to begin.

Then you can make better choices about what your face actually needs.

Want to Experience How I Put It Together?

For the 100th Making Life Beautiful Again livestream, I am going to take you beyond simply noticing what your face is doing.

We are doing my new 12-Minute Facelift Using Frequencies together.

I think about it a little like tuning a guitar before you play it.

Before I ask my face to smile, talk, concentrate, react and show up for the day, I spend a few minutes intentionally preparing it.

And during this special livestream, you get to experience the routine with me.

August 19, 7:00–8:00 p.m. Central
Inside the Making Life Beautiful Again Facebook group

There will be giveaways, a special announcement and no replay.

Join the Making Life Beautiful Again Facebook Group

Grab the Companion Worksheet

I also created a companion worksheet to help you notice your own jaw, tongue, posture, sleep and tension habits and identify one place you want to begin.

You can get it free inside the Making Life Beautiful Again Facebook group.

Grab the Jaw Tension + Posture Worksheet

Much love,

Want to Join Us Live?

Every week inside the Making Life Beautiful Again Facebook group, I go live to break down these strategies with real-life examples, Q+A, and a downloadable worksheet to help you take action. You don't have to figure this out on your own.

Join us Wednesdays at 1:30pm CST for our weekly livestream!

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FAQ

Can jaw tension cause jowls?

It is too simplistic to say jaw tension causes jowls. The appearance of the lower face can be influenced by many factors, including aging, genetics, skin and underlying facial tissues. However, repeated clenching and jaw tension can affect how the jaw and surrounding muscles feel and function, so tension is worth evaluating rather than assuming another strengthening exercise is automatically the answer.

Can posture affect the appearance of my jawline?

Your head, neck, shoulders and jaw function as part of the same connected body. How you hold yourself can change the way your neck and lower face are positioned at any given moment. That does not mean correcting posture will erase jowls, but posture is an important foundation to consider before adding more face or neck exercises.

Should my teeth touch when my jaw is resting?

Mayo Clinic's conservative guidance for relaxed jaw posture describes the tongue resting gently on the palate with the teeth apart and the jaw relaxed. If you frequently discover that you are clenching or grinding, especially if you also experience pain, discuss it with your dentist or healthcare provider.

Does mewing really sharpen your jawline?

Popular claims that mewing can reshape the jaw or realign teeth are not supported by scientific evidence, according to the American Association of Orthodontists. Healthy tongue posture and aggressively attempting to reshape your jaw through pressure are not the same thing.

Can side sleeping make one side of my face look different?

Sleeping on the same side places your face and jaw in a repeated position for hours, so it is reasonable to notice whether you consistently wake with tension or soreness on one side. However, it would be inaccurate to assume side sleeping is automatically the cause of facial asymmetry or jowls. Facial asymmetry can have many causes.

What if my jaw clicks?

Jaw clicking without pain or limited movement does not always require treatment. If clicking is painful, your jaw locks, you have difficulty opening or closing your mouth, or you experience persistent pain, seek evaluation from an appropriate healthcare professional.

Can face exercises get rid of jowls?

Face exercise may be one tool in a broader approach to facial movement and muscle awareness, but I do not believe in approaching every jowl with “exercise harder.” I prefer to look at posture, resting habits, tension and individual circumstances first, then choose intentional exercise from there.

What should I do first if I am worried about my jawline?

Start by observing rather than correcting everything at once.

For a few days, periodically notice your head, shoulders and jaw.

That small awareness practice can help you identify whether you are repeatedly leaning forward, rounding your shoulders or clenching your jaw before you decide what kind of exercise or support you actually need.