Contrary to popular belief, height increase does not only occur during the puberty stage, which is a time when sexual maturation takes place. It’s still possible for adults to grow taller despite being past their teenage years. However, it is during the puberty stage when a dramatic increase in the height happens.
This is why those who would like to be taller than average should spring into action while they are still in their teens. The best time to start doing so is before they reach 18 years old.
Before we talk about the different things that people who are still in their puberty stage may do to increase their height, let us first answer a question that’s probably in your mind right now: why should I try to increase my height before 18 years old and not after it?
Well, the answer to this is simple: it’s below 18 years of age when growth spurts happen. Different things may be done by teens to boost their height increase during growth spurts.
If truth be told, there are many growth spurts in a person’s life. They actually begin in infancy and childhood, and they are referred to as “mini growth spurts.” This is the reason why babies and kids grow and develop rapidly.
As a matter of fact, during the first year of a baby’s life, he or she grows an average of 10 inches!
Those mini growth spurts tend to continue throughout childhood. According to experts, it’s during spring and summer when kids grow at a faster rate. It is believed that it can be due to the fact that there are lots of nutritious foods available during these seasons.
What’s more, it’s during spring and summer where there’s plenty of sun and fun outdoor activities to try — later on in this article; you will learn the role that physical activities play when it comes to height increase during the puberty stage as well as adulthood.
If there are mini growth spurts, there are also major growth spurts. These major ones occur during the teenage years, and not during childhood. There is no scientific data saying how many growth spurts a person has in his or her lifetime.
What scientists are sure of, however, is that there are numerous growth spurts since birth, and the major ones tend to happen in the puberty stage, just before the growth plates of the long bones stop working.
Put simply, the growth plates are cartilage discs that are found at the ends of the long bones. These discs multiply, thus making the long bones such as the femur, tibia, and fibula of the legs to grow longer.
Unfortunately, the skeleton matures with the passing of years. This is why when a person reaches a certain age, those growth plates of the long bones harden and become just like the rest of the skeletal system.
When this happens, needless to say, the person stops growing. This is an indicator that the growth spurts have come to an end.
It’s for this reason exactly why it is before 18 years old when a person who would like to be taller than average should do all the necessary steps to promote height increase.
Because male and female teens have different chemical and genetic makeup, the time that the growth spurts stop tends to happen at different ages. In girls, the major growth spurt usually ends when they reach 14 years of age.
In boys, it is when they reach 16 years old when the major growth spurt ends. However, some teens may have a cessation in their growth spurts earlier or later.
Some teenagers may still experience some growth spurts just before they reach 18 years of age. This is why if you are below 18 years old and you would like to be a tall adult, you should never quit doing various height-increasing solutions, including most especially those that are designed for teens.
You should know one very important thing: a person who is 18 years old and above may still grow. However, it’s no longer due to the lengthening of the long bones as the growth plates would have stopped working at their age.
Height increase during adulthood is usually due to the lengthening of the spine, in particular the decompression of the discs between the bones of the back — the spinal discs.
This is the reason why astronauts grow up to a couple of inches when in outer space, as the lack of gravity enables their spinal discs to expand completely.
There are many things that you may do to encourage dramatic height increase before you celebrate your 18th birthday, and some of those that have worked for a lot of teens who wanted to be taller than everyone are:
Having a Well-Balanced Diet
One of the reasons why growth spurts tend to be dramatic in infants, kids, and teens is that they have a fast metabolism. When metabolism is mentioned, a lot of people immediately think about weight. A speedy metabolism promotes weight loss, while a slow metabolism encourages weight gain.
While that is true, it’s wrong to associate metabolism with weight gain or weight loss only. That’s because it is also linked to many other processes in the body, such as height increase.
The type of metabolism that’s involved with growth is referred to as “anabolic metabolism,” and it involves the building of various tissues, including bone tissues. To maintain a normal metabolic rate, it’s important for growing teens to supply their bodies with nutrients.
Protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals — all of these are required by the body for growth. Obtaining all of them is made possible by going for a well-balanced diet.
Every meal should consist of various types of foods, ranging from meat, animal products like eggs and cheese, grains, fruits to vegetables. Some nutrients are known as major role players when it comes to promoting bone growth and strength.
They include protein, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, iron, copper, zinc, vitamin C, and vitamin D.
Some foods should be eaten, and some foods should be avoided. It’s a good idea for growing teens to minimize their intake of junk and processed foods because they do not contain nutrients that their bodies need to grow taller.
What’s more, they can cause obesity and hormonal imbalance, both of which can stunt one’s growth.
Taking Nutritional Supplements
In adults, orally taken products that provide the body with all kinds of nutrients are called nutritional supplements. On the other hand, when these products are for kids, they are more commonly known as multivitamins.
Just like what the name says, it has various vitamins as well as minerals, in particular those that are for growth and development.
Multivitamins can be beneficial for teens who do not seem to be getting the full range of nutrients they need from the diet. So, in other words, it’s suitable for those whose diet is not well-balanced.
There are many reasons why some people in the puberty stage fail to have a healthy diet. Some of them are too busy with studying and going out with friends.
Others are becoming more and more conscious of their appearance and are going on a diet. The stress of being teens can also make some of them lose their appetite.
Aside from nutritional supplements, there are also height-increasing supplements in the market. Different products have different ingredients. For instance, some of them have collagen, while others have amino acids.
Others contain hormones, such as the human growth hormone or HGH, as well as other hormones that help promote increased HGH production. Then there are also those containing herbs that purported to promote growth.
However, most supplements out there are not suitable for children and teenagers below 18 years of age. That’s because some of their ingredients may interfere with the normal growth and development of the body.
There are height-increasing supplements also available for kids and teens alike, although just like what’s mentioned earlier, they are mostly vitamins and minerals. Before a youngster is given supplements, a doctor must be consulted first.
Exercising or Playing Sports
Going for a well-balanced diet is best paired with having enough physical activity if the goal of someone who is in the puberty stage is to grow taller than everybody else.
That’s because being physically active is essential for stimulating the growth plates to produce new bone tissue effectively, thus encouraging a better height increase.
Teens can get their dose of physical activity in a couple of ways: by exercising and engaging in sports. Some of the best exercises for people below 18 years of age are cardiovascular activities to make the heart, lungs, muscles, bones, and immune system stronger.
More often than not, playing outside is enough for them to get their dose of exercise. When it comes to sports, there are plenty to choose from. Some wonderful examples include basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, swimming, and ice hockey.
Vigorous and high-impact exercises and sports are the best for height increase during the puberty stage. That’s because they encourage the growth plates to produce more new bone tissue. What’s more, they are important for making new bone tissue harder and stronger.
Besides, exercise and sports can help fend off obesity, which can slow down and prevent height increase, as earlier mentioned. They also help prevent all kinds of health problems.
It’s important to note, however, that too much exercise and sports can cause stunted growth. That’s because it robs the metabolism of the energy it needs to encourage growth and development. It can also cause too much stress, which can hamper normal lengthening of the bone.
Getting Enough Sleep Every Night
Earlier, we mentioned that during the puberty stage, the body undergoes intensive growth and development. It’s because of this exactly why major growth spurts are encountered by teens.
What we failed to talk about earlier is that there is a specific time when growth takes place, and it’s none other than when teenagers are fast asleep.
During sleep, the body releases abundant amounts of HGH. Such is necessary to promote prompt repair as well as rapid growth and development. This is why teens need to get enough high-quality and uninterrupted sleep every night.
As a general rule of thumb, they should be spending 8 to 10 hours in dreamland. Failure to get enough sleep may keep the body from growing properly as the amount of HGH produced is insufficient.
Having enough sleep is also important for dealing with stress. As mentioned earlier, the stress in teenagers can have a negative effect on growth and development. Failure to manage stress can have all kinds of unfavorable effects on a teen’s physical health.
For instance, it can cause an increased risk of obesity and high blood pressure. Mental health experts confirm that lack of sleep may also leave teens suffering from depression and anxiety.
People who are past the puberty stage should also get enough sleep, ranging from 7 to 9 hours per night. For height increase, they should sleep on their back to encourage the spinal discs to expand and the spine to lengthen.
It is a terrible idea for them to sleep on the stomach because it can keep the spinal discs from fully expanding.
Practicing the Law of Attraction
Breaking some man-made laws can send you to prison. However, there is a law that won’t lead to you being locked up if you fail to follow it, and it’s called the law of attraction.
But why break this law if following it could bring all sorts of wonderful things to your life, such as an impressive height that can bring self-confidence and success?
According to the proponents of the law of attraction, you should focus on how what you want to have could make you feel. For instance, if you want to use the law of attraction for making yourself taller than your family members and friends, you should focus on how you would feel if you were already tall.
Will it make you feel happy? Will it make you feel confident? Will it make you feel like you can conquer all? No matter the reason for your desire for growing taller, focus on the amazing feeling of having an extraordinary stature to make it happen.
Other than having a sense of what it would feel like to be taller, you may also picture yourself as already tall. This will require you to use a lot of your creativity and imagination since you have never felt yet what it’s like to be a statuesque person. For this, you may put yourself in the shoes of someone whose height you have always admired.
What’s so nice about the law of attraction is that it’s not just for teenagers. If you are past the puberty stage, you may also use it to increase your height.
Online, you can easily come across stories of adults who grew taller through the law of attraction. Just remember to be patient and consistent, as it may take a while for results to appear.
Putting on a Pair of Elevator Shoes
Using the law of attraction for height increase, as just mentioned, may take some time to take effect. No one can really confirm how long the law attraction will take before it makes you a taller person.
Some people say that they were able to see results after just a couple of months, while others say that it took a few years. It is said that you will see results faster if you really want what you want to attract, and also if you really believe in the law of attraction itself.
While waiting for the effect of the law of attraction to show up, there is one thing that you may do to enjoy a taller height in an instant: wearing elevator shoes. Just like what the name says, these are shoes that can elevate your heels, thus making you taller for as long as you are wearing them.
Different brands of elevator shoes can provide different results. For instance, there is a brand that offers models capable of adding anywhere from two to six inches to your height.
If you want to be tall and you want it right now, there is no denying that wearing elevator shoes is the way to go. However, there are a few downsides to this solution.
A pair of high-quality and stylish elevator shoes don’t come cheap — many of them are priced at more than $100 a pair. To be consistently tall for every occasion, you should own more than one pair of elevator shoes.
Fret not if you don’t have the budget for buying multiple pairs of elevator shoes. That’s because there is another instant solution available, and it comes in the form of height-increasing insoles.
They work by having them placed inside the shoes that you wish to wear, although they won’t work with sandals and flip-flops. While cheaper, height-increasing insoles cannot add up to six inches to your height. Usually, they can make you only a couple of inches taller.
Conclusion
The best time to try different height-increasing solutions is before you celebrate your 18th birthday. That’s because your growth plates are still working, and it’s still possible for you to go through a growth spurt.
Do not lose hope if you’re already past 18 years of age. That’s because there are also many things that adults may do to grow further.
There are multiple stories about people getting taller after 30.
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