Health and Nutrition: How to increase our height...?

© Harish Jharia

Increasing height of anyone is not like putting on weight or losing weight. It is not like curing any ailment with the help of medicine, therapy or injections.

Your height depends on your bone structure from your head to sole. Your flesh, muscles and other constituents are just covering your bone structure. As long as the bone structure doesn’t stretch in length, the question of any increase in your height doesn’t arise.

I do not want to discourage you from making efforts in your life to achieve something worthwhile. My aim is to alert you against getting exploited by many commercial bodies that claim to have medicines and therapies for increasing height. They eat away your money, energy and leave you disheartened and disillusioned with your life.

You should not even get misguided by advertisements on TV and print media about height gaining health drinks, herbs or medicines or any exercising package.

If you have crossed 19 / 21 years of age then accept your present height with grace and be proud of your persona you possess. Don’t waste time, energy and money on any commercial height gaining packages.

You keep growing taller as your age increases from late childhood to adolescence and to youth. This is the best time when you can make efforts for gaining your optimum height that depends on your genetic qualities.

In fact, you can only add-on to your growing height… a sort of supplement to the processes of gaining height. Nevertheless, it is not going to do any miracle. The following is what you can do between 9 to 19 years of age (some schools of thoughts say the maximum age limit is 21):

1. You must take milk at least once a day… better in the morning
2. You must take rich, nutritious, and healthy diet
3. Take plenty of fruits including the local seasonal fruits
4. Take plenty of salads
5. Do not go for dieting or diet control
6. Avoid junk food like pizza, burger, and soft drinks
7. Keep away from bad company and alcoholic drinks / smoking
8. Do stretching exercise for min 15 minutes
9. Surya namaskar would add to your mission if you know how to do
10. Go for 45 minutes fast running (it is a must for you)
11. Play games like football, hockey and basketball
12. Maintain quick reflexes and don’t be lazy in day-to-day life

As I have written above our height depends on our genetic characteristics and the natural size of our bone structure that grows until 19 / 21. You have asked whether growing prolongs until 24; for that I can say even I am not convinced with the limit of 21 years as some schools of thoughts believe.

You may visit Encyclopedia Britannica Site for detailed authentic information on the right age limit for growth.

A young man with an average height would look quite impressive if he maintains proper posture and wears a suitable dress.

For that you may like to follow the practice given below:

1. Don’t stand on one leg. Distribute your weight on both of your legs while standing.
2. Keep your backbone / spine in as vertical as possible. (within your comfort zone… don’t overdo)
3. Don’t wear loose hanging pants below your belly-button level. Get pants that fit right at this button thereby the length of your pant will increase by 1” approx and your perspective height will add up.
4. Always select a combination of darker pant + lighter shirt. (vertical stripes, if possible, would be better)
5. Use shoes or other footwear with 1” for men and 2½ “for women heel (max) that will elevate your height by respective inches and will help in keeping your body upright. Please note that if you wear footwear with heels your body will stay upright.

There are many stretching exercises that will be advised by your gym instructor.
Nevertheless, I have found ‘Surya Namaskar’ the best possible exercise that is done in the morning after you wake up from your sleep and your body remains so very adoptive to exercises.

These exercises will help you in straightening your legs and spine thereby adding on to some extent to your resultant / perspective height.
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Disclaimer: This article is written based on my personal observations. My intention for publishing the same is to provide healthy reading and intellectual entertainment and not for educating the visitors. No literature or authentic books have been referred for writing the contents of this article. The visitors are advised not to refer the contents of this article for any research or testimony on scientific, geographical, political, civic or legal purposes. The visitors are further advised to consult relevant experts before adapting any information from this article. The author or the website are not responsible for any errors, mistakes, or omissions there in.
 - Harish Jharia
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