A person’s height is determined by two main factors, namely genetic and environmental which includes exercise and nutrition. However, genetic factors contribute more to your height compared with environmental factors. People tend to grow faster in the early years of life – from age one to puberty. After going through puberty, growth slows down until it stops in adulthood.
If you want to grow tall, there are several things you can do during your adolescence years to maximize your growth. If you persistently continue to do these things into adulthood, you have a good chance of promoting your general well-being and improving your height. Below, we explore the five ways you can grow in height:
Exercise Regularly
Living an active life has numerous health benefits. When it comes to growing in height, regular exercises strengthen the bones and muscles, enable you to keep your weight in check, and enhance human growth hormone (HGH) production. In their growth years, children should engage in, at least, one hour of physical activities. These activities should include exercises that build their strength, aerobic activities like biking and jumping rope, and flexibility exercises like yoga.
In adults, regular exercises lower the risk of developing bone diseases like osteoporosis and enable them to maintain good health. Osteoporosis develops when the bones become brittle or weak, causing a drop in bone density. This causes a person’s height to shrink. To lower the risk of developing this condition, adults can play tennis, do walking exercises, and practice yoga. If you’re in college, consider creating time to work out in your schedule.
2. Ensure Your Diet Is Always Balanced
In the early years of your life, your body should get all the crucial nutrients it needs to develop and grow well. The key to achieving this is to ensure that you’re always eating a balanced diet. Essentially, your diet should consist of fresh vegetables, fruit, proteins, whole grains, and dairy. If you have an underlying condition that affects your bone density and slows your growth in height, consider increasing your calcium intake. Vitamin D is also critical for supporting bone health. You can get this nutrient from fortified milk, tuna, and egg yolk. If you’re unable to get sufficient Vitamin D from your food, discuss alternative sources like supplements with your doctor to meet your daily needs.
3. Be Cautious About Supplements
Supplements can support growth in children and young adults, but these are appropriate only in very limited cases. One case where supplements may be used is when a person develops a health condition that affects the production of HGH. In such situations, a doctor can prescribe a supplement like Growth Factor Plus that contains HGH in synthetic form.
Older adults may be given calcium or Vitamin D supplements to lower their risk of developing osteoporosis. Besides these two situations, it is advisable to be careful with any other supplements that promise to enhance growth in height. This is because after your growth plates are fused, the likelihood of increasing your height is minimal regardless what a supplement label reads.
4. Embrace A Good Posture
Your posture can make you appear taller or shorter. A poor posture like slouching or slumping will make you appear shorter than you really are. Naturally, your back should curve in three areas. Slouching or slumping regularly causes these curves to shift. This causes back and neck pain. Paying attention to how you sit, sleep, and stand enables you to maintain a good posture. If you’re not sure whether you’re maintaining a good posture, visit your doctor for advice on how you can include ergonomics in your daily routine and the routine exercises you can engage in to correct your posture.
5. Get Quality Sleep
Sleeping less hours than recommended won’t affect how tall you ultimately grow. However, if you sleep less than 10 hours regularly during your adolescence years, you may experience complications and fail to maximize your height growth because the HGH is released during sleep. This means sleeping less hours causes a reduction in the amount of HGH that your body produces. On the other hand, sleeping longer hours means increased production of the HGH, which boosts your growth.
Final Thoughts
Genetic factors play a big role in determining how tall you grow. But, environmental factors also affect how well you grow in height. You grow in the initial 18 years of your life. To maximize your growth during this period, eat a well-balanced diet, get sufficient sleep, and exercise regularly. If you’re past the growing age, make yourself appear taller by building stronger muscles and embracing a good posture.
