A person’s height is determined between 60%-85% by your genes. The remaining factor is brought by environmental and primarily nutrition. If a person is malnourished during his growing years he won't reach his full potential. However, if you get enough nutrition you'll likely reach your genetically predetermined height, and possibly a little taller.
Everyone grows at a different rate. Some people gain an average of 2 inches per year between age 1 to puberty. And once you reach puberty, you may grow at a rate of 4 inches yearly. Gender plays a role in how much growth hormone we release. Surprisingly, female release more than males.
Female growth commonly starts at the beginning of puberty while male’s height increases at the end of their teenage years. And eventually both will stop growing taller after puberty. When you become an adult you will unlikely grow in height.
But, there are other factors that you might consider during growing up years to ensure that you are maximizing you growth potential. You must consider these important factors to maintain your overall well-being and retain your height.
a) Eat a balanced diet.
During those crucial years, you must get all the nutrients your body needs. The following are recommended in your daily diet.
Your diet should include:
• fresh fruits
• fresh vegetables
• whole grains
• proteins
• dairy
You should avoid and limit:
• sugar
• trans fats
• saturated fats
In certain conditions, aging causes our height to decrease by affecting our bone density therefore we should increase our calcium intake. For women over the age 50 and men above 70, it is recommended to increase calcium intake up to 1200 mg daily. Bone health maintenance can also be helped by Vitamin D which can be found in tuna, fortified milk and egg yolks.
b) Be cautious with height growth supplements
Everyone wants to become tall, but if your hormones and genes do not support growth there are always some supplements that can defeat your genes and at least get you taller than average.
There are a number of height growth supplements available in the market today that is made of 100% natural ingredients. It also comes with no side effects and is very effective in helping you grow. BUT, it is still important to consult your doctor if you have existing health conditions for them to give you the proper intake recommendation and is suitable to your condition.
Make a list of these important vitamins and minerals that play a vital role in your growth.
• Vitamin B1
• Vitamin B2
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Calcium
• Phosphorous
Also, older adults may wish to take vitamin D or calcium supplements to reduce their risk of osteoporosis in the future.
c) Get the right amount of sleep during development
There have been a few studies relates sleep patterns and growth. It is known that when you sleep your body releases human growth hormone (HGH) and most of your growth and recovery happens at this time. That is why one would think that a lack of sleep would cause stunted growth.
Occasionally lack of sleep will affect your height in the long term. But when you become an adult and you regularly clock less than the recommended sleep, it may lead to some complications.
It’s suggested that:
newborns up to 3 months old should get 14-17 hours daily
infants ages 3-11 months old get 12-17 hours daily
toddlers ages 1-2 years get 11-14 hours daily
young children ages 3-5 years old get 10-13 hours daily
children ages 6-13 get nine to 11 hours daily
teenagers ages 14-17 get eight to 10 hours daily
persons ages 18-64 get seven to nine hours daily
older adults ages 65 and older get seven to eight hours daily
Getting extra sleep may even increase growth hormone production, so go ahead and take that power nap.
d) Exercise
HGH is an important substance produced in the body. It’s very important role is the growth of bodily tissues and is often at its highest peak at younger age while we are growing rapidly and begins to slowly decrease as we grow older. Growth hormone is involved in the turnover of muscle tissues, which is particularly important for those of us who are looking to add lean muscle mass, as well as the transformation of bone and collagen tissues.
Exercise is the biggest contributor to growth hormone release.
Children in school should a daily exercise of at least an hour. During this time, they should focus on:
• strength-building exercises, such as push-ups or sit-ups
• flexibility exercises, such as yoga
• activities such as playing tag, jumping rope, or biking
• Exercising as an adult is beneficial also. In addition to helping you maintain your health in general, it can also help reduce your risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition when your bones become weak or brittle, resulting in bone density loss. This can cause you to “shrink.”
e) Practice good posture
A person’s spine contributes to roughly 80 percent of his overall height. This simply means that slouching and bad posture harms your height potential.
The good news is, posture is easily correctible. When dine correctly, you will definitely straighten out the spine and can add several inches to your height. Years of sitting, standing and lying in bad positions can severely harm your height. For kids, the same applies when you carry heavy backpacks at school.
f) Use yoga to maximize your height
You will be surprised to know that Yoga can also be used to increase your height aside from being practiced for holistic well-being since time immemorial.
This whole-body practice can strengthen your muscles, align your body, and help with your posture and eventually help you grow taller.
You can practice yoga at the comfort of your home and try some of these popular poses to improve posture.
Mountain Pose
Cobra Pose
Child’s Pose
Warrior II Pose