Warm-up Your Face!

Like a professional athlete, actors need to get their bodies warmed up before performing on stage or in front of a camera. Yoga and other types of stretching exercises work quite well for full body toning. However, don't neglect the most important areas: your mouth and jaw! Lip, tongue, and jaw exercises are vital to an actor. Here's a quick combination exercise you can practice anytime: Clasp your hands in front of you at chest level as though you are about to arm wrestle yourself. Relax all the muscles in your face. Begin to shake your clasped hands rapidly toward and away from your body. Your lips and jaw should move easily, and your tongue should flop around in your mouth. Stop shaking your hands, and finish off by opening your mouth wide and relaxing it shut again to release any further tension in your jaw.