Not every one of us is blessed with tall height but the dream to have a proper height and body never dies. Being a tall person not only boosts your confidence but it makes your appearance beautiful in every outfit. But the most important thing that leaves an impression is your attitude and personality, not the height.
However, there are a lot of people who are not happy with their heights and suffer from a lack of confidence in life. Most of them believe that they are doomed to be shorter for the rest of their lives. They say once you have crossed your teens there is nothing can be done to increase height after 25 years of age.
However, it is the time to break all your old concepts regarding height. According to various modern studies, it is possible to increase your height even after 25.
Let us now explore the various aspects regarding height and tricks to increase height:
What determines height?
Now the question might arise to your mind that what are the things that decide your height? Your height is mostly dependent and controlled by various environmental, genetics and other factors.
For example:
- Genetics: This is the most primary biological aspect that controls human height. According to studies, in most of the cases, 60 – 80% of the human height is determined by the genetics variant you have inherited. These genetic variant directly or indirectly affect cartilage in growth plate which is the area in the long bones of the legs and arms where new bone is produced. [1,2]
- Nutrient Food: Another important factor that plays a vital role in controlling your height is your food habit. Good nutritious food containing enough vitamins, minerals, protein, calcium and other beneficial nutrients can help children to grow in heights. On the other hand, people who do not maintain a healthy food habit from childhood, tend to be short. [3]
- Sex: Another biological factor is sex that decides your height. Generally, men tend to be taller than women if compared.
- Exercise: Not only proper food and gene can determine height. Physical activities and exercises can also help a person to grow from childhood. Any type of physical activity tends to release growth hormones. These hormones can help a child grow not only in height but in mentality too.
- Other medical conditions: There are certain medical conditions like Dwarfism, arthritis, gigantism, cancer and syndromes like down syndrome, Turner syndrome, Marfan syndrome and others can even control a person’s height to some degree.
How to Grow Taller after 25?
If you are wondering how to increase your height once you have crossed the threshold of teenage, then you are on the right page. Although the height of a person is mostly dependent on things which are beyond your reach like heredity. However, there are also other natural ways that can help you to increase your height.
1. Rest well:
A good sound sleep is essential to increase your height. You need to give rest to your body for at least 7-9 hours every day. During sleep, your body produces growth hormones or HGH which helps your body to grow. Therefore it is very important to get ample sleep every night to see the miracle in your height.
2. Meditation:
Peace of mind is essential to keep your body relaxed. Meditation helps to stimulate the pituitary gland of your brain that releases human growth hormone and helps to increase your height. So start practising meditation for at least 5 minutes in a day to help your body not only to relax but also to grow.
3. Healthy Eating Habits:
Not only a good sleep is enough to increase height after 25. But you need to maintain a proper healthy food habit. Start intaking foods which are highly nutritious and contains vitamins, calcium, carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids and other minerals. You can have chicken meat, egg white, fish, carrot, bananas, dry fruits and all other green vegetables regularly to grow at least an inch. And also do not forget to keep yourself hydrated throughout the day.
4. Healthy Bones:
Keeping your bones healthy and strong is the prime key to increase your height. Low bone density, thoracic kyphosis or rounded upper back, osteoporosis and other bone injuries can make you look shorter and affect your health as well. So it is important to increase bone density in your body by consuming foods that are rich in calcium, vitamin D and magnesium. Also, exercise regularly to keep the bones strong and active and improve your body posture to appear taller than before.
5. Keep a Good Posture:
Your posture can sometimes make you look taller. Therefore it is very important to improve your posture by keeping your head straight and your shoulder slightly backward. Always try to maintain a straight posture instead of hunching your back.
6. Swimming:
Swimming is a very effective physical exercise which not only controls your weight but also determines your height. According to the experts, you can actually increase your height naturally by swimming two hours daily. If you still do not know how to swim, it is the right time to get yourself enrolled in some swimming classes.
7. YOGA Asanas:
From the ancient times, people practice yoga to maintain a correct posture and to keep themselves healthy. The stretches and poses of the yoga asanas help you to improve your posture by stretching your spine. It even detoxifies your body and stimulates the growth hormone. To increase your height you try asanas like Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose), Natrajasana (Lying Down Body Twist), Tadasana (Tree Pose), Marjariasana (Cat Stretch) and Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) – all these yoga postures can be effective to bring some positive changes in your body.
8. Hanging from a Bar:
Although it sounds a little freaky, hanging can also help you to grow taller. According to the experts, it is the effect of gravity that hinders people from growing by squeezing their cartilage and muscles. Hanging helps to stretch and straighten your spine and joints. Your entire body gets stretched and you can fight back the effects of gravity and boost your height. So buy a hanging bar or find a tree limbs somewhere that can hold your body weight properly and start practising this antigravity exercise to notice the miracle.
9. Stretching Your Body:
Stretching is one of the most common exercises that also plays a vital role in promoting height. Stretching improves your posture, strengthen core muscles and joints which encourages your height to grow. Practising various stretching exercises like YOGA stretches, freehand stretching, wall stretching, dry land swimming, pelvic shift and others can really bring some noticeable changes in your height.
10. Exercises and Sports:
Regular practice of other physical exercises like burpees, ankle weights, Rope Jumping, Bar hanging and spots like badminton, volleyball, tennis, cycling is also proved to increase human height naturally even in their late 20s.
What Prevents to Grow Your Height?
So now you know what are things that you can follow daily to boost your height. But do you know there is even such thing that can prevent your height from growing? Here are the few points that can limit your height directly or indirectly :
- The primary things that can stunt your height are drugs and alcohol.
- Regular cigarette smoking can also affect your health and height especially.
- Malnutrition is another thing that can stop your height from growing. It is essential to follow a proper healthy diet food habit to increase height.
- Also consuming too much caffeine sometimes can be harmful as caffeine steals your ability to sleep. As a result, if you do not get much sleep, your height will never grow.
- Even Anabolic steroids tend to suppress the bone growth for the young children and also the teens putting into the risk of being short.
Bottom line:
Moreover, it is difficult to increase height once a person stops growing but still there are various ways that can keep a person healthy and look strong and tall with good posture and shape. A little change in your daily diet and workout routine can really bring some beautiful changes in your looks and life – after all your health is the greatest gift of your life.