Contrary to popular belief, you can still influence your physical development after 21. While full height transformation is hard, some strategic approaches and tricks can help maximize your natural growth.
How Height Develops
Before delving into how to increase height after 21, it is essential to know what factors influence height growth.
Height is determined by:
- Genetic factors
- Nutrition
- Hormones
- Lifestyle
Now that the factors influencing growth have been clearly laid out, let us check out the actual tips and tricks to grow taller.
Height Optimisation Strategies
While factors like genetics are not in our hands, we can work on the other factors to increase our height. Following are some ways to grow taller :
- Nutrition
Nutrition is important. It acts as the fuel for any function the body needs to perform. So as far as growing taller is concerned, nutrition forms the backbone of all our height increasing efforts. So it is safe to say that – Targeted nutrition helps support height development.
Accordingly, following are some ways to increase your nutrition factor:
- Eat protein rich foods
- Increase calcium in your diet
- Add more Vitamin D sources to your food
- Don’t ignore micronutrients. Make it a point to have equal amounts of micronutrients.
Now, you must be wondering why are these above mentioned nutrients important for height growth? Read on to know what exactly is their role in our diet :
- Protein: Builds and develops muscles and bones
- Calcium: Fortifies the bone structure
- Vitamin D: Increases calcium absorption
- Zinc: Produces growth hormone
- Exercise
Just like proper nutrition, regular exercise is important for good health. And when it comes to growing taller, exercise can be your “triggering” factor.
Some exercises that can trigger growth:
- Hanging exercises
- Swimming
- Stretching
- Yoga and pilates
- High intensity interval training
Needless to say exercises improve one’s posture and help stretch the growth plates that close in most individuals after they reach 21 years of age.
- Hormonal Balancing
Growth hormones are one of the primary factors that trigger growth in an individual. Though growth hormones are naturally produced by the body, there are certain natural ways to produce more growth hormone. They are:
- Try and get enough sleep per night. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep
- Reduce stress and invest in stress management techniques
- Exercise regularly
- Eat a balanced diet
- Posture and Alignment
Not all height increase factors are in our hands. So instead of sulking over things we cannot change, it is better to work on things we can actually change easily such increasing our apparent height. Increase apparent height by:
- Spine alignment exercises make your spine straight and make you appear taller
- Core strengthening exercises improve your posture and spine health. When your posture is good, you appear taller.
- Good posture walking helps. Wonder how? Ever seen a slouching person and how “small” they appear? So stop slouch walking and say hi to a taller you!
- Keep in mind ergonomic considerations such as increasing the height of your chair or simply investing in a good pair of heels!
- Lifestyle Modification
There are some holistic ways to support growth in height. These include:
- Minimize stress
- Get consistent and restful sleep
- Avoid growth inhibiting habits
- Focus on Hydration
- Limit alcohol and smoking
Scientific Facts about increasing height after 21
While scientific studies say that drastic height increase after 21 is almost impossible, there are strategies to appear bigger and taller. All you need to do is:
- Improve your posture
- Improve the muscle definition of your body by exercising more.
- Don’t just focus on height increase but rather aim for overall physical development
- Optimize your existing height potential and capacity
Important points to remember while planning for ways to increase height after 21:
- Genetic factors are the most important criteria for height in an individual
- Results vary from person to person
- Before trying anything drastic, it’s important to consult an endocrinologist
- Have realistic expectations about increasing height.
Professional Advice
When it comes to increasing height after 21, here is what the doctors say:
- It is more important to maintain your health with balanced nutrition, exercise regularly and have goodmental health.
- Respect and appreciate the diversity in physical appearance, and recognise that your uniqueness makes you beautiful
- Shift the focus from an unhealthy obsession over height to healthy nutrition.
- Build your self esteem by investing in self improvement activities like personal development, positive affirmations and nurturing supportive relationships.
Being tall is not everything. There are things beyond a good height that help you look good. Even though complete height transformation after 21 is limited, strategic approaches can help people maximize their natural potential. Comprehensive wellness remains the ultimate goal.