Maybe you feel like your friends have suddenly hit a growth spurt and you're lagging seriously behind. Maybe the rest of your family is really tall and you're wondering if you can do anything to catch up. The truth is that a person's height is mostly determined by things out of their control, such as genes. There are many factors that affect height during your teen years that can be controlled, such as diet and activity levels.
Method 1 of 2:
1Consume a balanced diet. A person will look a lot shorter when having a plump body. Not only that, being fit by eating right will make you taller and feel better!
- Eat plenty of lean protein. Lean protein, such as beans, soy, and nuts, helps promote muscle growth and healthy bones. Simple carbohydrates such as pizza, cakes, sweets, and soda, are the stuff to stay away from.
- Eat plenty of calcium. Calcium, found in leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale, and in fortified foods, helps promote healthy bones.
- Get enough zinc. Studies, although they have been inconclusive so far, point to a possible link between zinc deficiencies and stunted growth in boys. Good sources of zinc include wheat germ, pumpkin and squash seeds and peanuts.
- Get enough vitamin D. Vitamin D promotes bone and muscle growth in children, and a deficiency has been shown to stunt growth and cause weight gain in teenage girls. Modest amounts of Vitamin D can be found in alfalfa and mushrooms, as well as Vitamin D-fortified foods such as some milks and cereals. However, the vast majority of your Vitamin D comes from sunlight exposure. Just 15 minutes a day out in the sun (on average) can ensure you get enough Vitamin D.
2Exercise throughout the teen years and in puberty. Getting regular exercise may help you to grow taller during your teen years. Get out and work your muscles for at least 60 minutes/one hour each day.
- Join a gym. Joining a gym will help give you access to a lot of great exercising and muscle-building machines. It will also keep you motivated to work out (you'll feel silly if you're in the gym but not exercising).
- Join a sports team. People who join sports teams can use their natural competitiveness to burn extra calories and hopefully get their bodies taller. The great thing about team sports is that half the time, you don't even realize that you're exercising.
- If nothing else, walk around. If you can't find the time to do anything else, get up and walk around. Walk to the grocery store. Walk to the library. Walk to school.
3Get adequate sleep each night. Sleeping is the time when your body grows, so having plenty of sleep is equivalent to giving your body more time for growth. Get between 9 and 11 hours of sleep per night if you're a preteen or still younger than 20.
- The human growth hormone (HGH) is produced naturally in our bodies, especially during deep or slow wave sleep. Getting good, sound sleep will encourage the production of HGH, which is created in the pituitary gland.
4Understand that height is often determined through genetics. Scientists reckon that 60% to 80% of your height is determined by genes. Unfortunately, either you have the tall gene or you don't. That's not to say that you can't grow tall if you have parents who are on the shorter side; it just means that having shorter parents means you're more likely to be on the short side.
5Try not to stunt your growth. There might not be a lot you can do to increase your height, but you can take several steps to make sure your natural height isn't shortened by environmental influences. Drugs and alcohol are both thought to contribute to stunted growth if they're ingested while you're young, and malnutrition can keep you from reaching your full height, as well.
- Does caffeine really stunt your growth? Scientific study shows that, no, caffeine does not stunt growth. Caffeine does, however, have a higher chance of keeping you from sleeping soundly and regularly. Kids and adolescents needs about 9-10 hours of sleep, and caffeine may hurt your ability to get that much sleep.
- Does smoking really stunt your growth? The effects of smoking and second-hand smoke on body mass index (BMI) are inconclusive. According to Columbia University's Internet Health Resource, "Although the studies that have been done are largely inconclusive, the available research suggests that children who smoke or who are exposed to second-hand smoke are shorter than those who do not smoke or are children of non-smokers."
- Do steroids really stunt your growth? Absolutely. Anabolic steroids inhibit bone growth in young children and teens, along with lowering sperm count, decreasing breast size, elevating blood pressure and putting you at higher risk of heart attack. Children and teens who suffer from asthma and use inhalers that dispense small doses of the steroid budesonide are, on average, half an inch shorter than those not treated with steroids.
6Expect to be in your twenties when you stop growing. A lot of young kids look at themselves and ask, "Have I finished growing yet?" If you're under 18, the answer is probably "No!" If you haven't stopped puberty yet, then you haven't stopped growing. Try to be thankful that you have a little time to grow taller instead of worrying about how tall you will be.Advertisement
Method 2 of 2:
Exaggerating Your Height
1Have a good posture. Always stand straight instead of hunching your back. Spread out your shoulders slightly towards the back. Having a good posture will make you look much taller!
2Wear tighter clothes. Tighter clothes accentuate the lines of your body. If you wear baggy clothes, those lines disappear, making you look smaller. Wear slim-fitting clothes that make you feel good about yourself, however, not ones you're nervous about wearing or uncomfortable in.
3Enhance your height. You can always wear high-heels. Avoid wearing flats or flip-flops. Instead, wear shoes with heels.
4Show the best features of your body. If you have long legs, wear shorts or mini-skirts to highlight your legs. Try to avoid wearing leg warmers or leggings which will visually shorten your legs and make you look shorter.
5Wear dark colored clothes. Sometimes, looking taller is all about looking slimmer. If you're able to look slimmer, there's a good chance you'll also look taller. Colors like black, dark blue, and forest green can all contribute to looking both slimmer and taller, especially if you go dark on both the top and the bottom.
6Wear clothing with vertical stripes. Wearing clothes with vertical stripes can make you look taller than you are. Horizontal stripes do the opposite, so avoid wearing horizontal stripes.Advertisement
QuestionI am 14 years old and my height is average. My friends in the same class have more height compared to me. What should I do to increase my height?Community AnswerYou should stretch at least 3 times a day (morning, midday and before bed).There are some stretches on YouTube that can help. Swimming may also be good to help stimulate growth.
QuestionIs it true that eggs and milk make people grow?Community AnswerIt's true, if you drink or eat a lot of them, because of the rich nutrients. Eggs contain protein, and milk contains calcium and vitamin D.
QuestionI am 15 years old; most of my friends are taller than me and yet I am older than them. What should I do to increase my height so I don't feel left out?Community AnswerYou should start muscle building exercises and take a balanced diet with proteins. And don't forget to stretch 3 times a day.
QuestionWhat affects height growth negatively during puberty?Community AnswerThings that may affect growth include: Smoking, not sleeping sufficiently, not having exercise and taking drugs. Sometimes stress can affect your height and weight too. Talk to your doctor if you have specific concerns.
QuestionI am 16 and eat well and exercise. What else can I do?Community AnswerSleep at least 8-10 hours a day. Sleep releases hormones that help you to grow.
QuestionHow do I increase height after age 17?Community AnswerMost people keep growing until they are about 20 years old. Keep eating a healthy, well-balanced diet when you are 17 to give your body energy to grow taller.
QuestionHow often should I stretch?Community AnswerStretch at least once each day to become more flexible and increase your strength.
QuestionHow can I find out if I will grow taller or not?Community AnswerMeasure your height every day against the same wall. Mark it each time, and as you grow, you will notice.
QuestionWhat is the exact age that we stop growing? Will my height continue to increase after I turn 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 years old?Community AnswerIt depends. Women stop growing around 18 years old. Men stop growing around 21 years old. However, these are just averages. You may stop growing earlier or later, depending on genetics and other factors. If one or both of your parents are naturally tall, then you have a higher chance of being tall.
QuestionWhen growing, do you not only get taller but you get stronger as well?Community AnswerGrowing is the result of your muscles developing, as your muscle cells increase in mass, size and numbers. Exercising also strengthens your muscles and does a good job of regulating your circulatory system and improving your heartbeat rate, oxygen demand and carbon dioxide (lactic acid) systems, which will help increase your endurance.
wikiHow Video: How to Become Taller Naturally
- Skipping also helps for gaining height.You can also include skipping in your daily exercise.There are also many yoga asanas like TADASANA which helps for an increase in height.You should practice Yoga in the early morning.So, Yoga is also a good way to gain height.
- To get taller, stretch as far you can. Lay down on the floor and get a massage. Massages relax your muscles, letting you get just a bit taller.
- Whether you're small or tall, there are pros and cons for everything, so be happy for who you are.
- Don't diet if you haven't stopped growing. This can make you shorter.
- When you are a teenager, make sure to get enough protein in your diet. Try to eat .70 grams (0.025 oz) of protein for every pound of body-weight. (i.e. If you weigh 100 pounds, eat 70 grams of protein.)
- Try to wear long clothes if you're skinny, and if you're not, try to lose some weight so that your growth doesn't stop because of your weight.
- Wear leggings, yoga pants, or skinny jeans. Sweatpants and loose jeans tend to make you look short.
About this article
To become taller naturally, exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, which has been shown to help people grow. If you're still a kid or teenager, join a sports team so you're exercising and building strong, healthy bones. Also, make sure you're getting 8-11 hours of sleep each night since your body grows the most when you're sleeping. You can also become taller by avoiding things that stunt growth, like drugs, alcohol, and smoking. To learn how to make yourself appear taller while you're waiting to grow, read the article!
- ↑ http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/
- ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17217573
- ↑ http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/zinc.php
- ↑ http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/label-etiquet/claims-reclam/assess-evalu/calcium_osteo-eng.php
- ↑ http://muhc.ca/newsroom/news/lack-vitamin-d-causes-weight-gain-and-stunts-growth-girls
- ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-90598/What-happens-body-youre-asleep.html
- ↑ http://www.md-health.com/How-To-Grow-Taller-After-21.html
- ↑ http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/10/11/does_caffeine_really_stunt_adolescents_growth/
- ↑ http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/smoking-stunting-my-growth