Do you feel short because your friend suddenly grew taller? Your family members are so tall that you are looking for ways to be as tall as them. In fact, many factors determine a person's height and most of them cannot be controlled, such as genes. However, there are several other factors that can be controlled during adolescence, such as diet and physical activity.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Making Your Body Grow Taller
Step 1. Eat a balanced diet
Fat people tend to appear short. You can grow taller and more confident if you eat the right foods!
- Eat plenty of fat-free protein. Eating fat-free protein sources, such as peas, soybeans, and other legumes is useful for promoting healthy muscle and bone growth. Avoid foods and drinks that contain simple carbohydrates, such as pizza, cake, candy, and soda.
- Consume enough calcium. Calcium from green vegetables, such as spinach and kale or in fortified foods, plays an important role in the process of healthy bone formation.
- Sufficient zinc needs. Although there is no convincing evidence to date, several studies have shown a correlation between zinc deficiency and stunted growth in boys. Eat wheat germ, pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, and peanuts because they contain a lot of the mineral zinc.
- Take vitamin D. Vitamin D plays an important role in the process of bone and muscle growth in children. Based on research, vitamin D deficiency inhibits body growth and causes weight gain in adolescent girls. Vitamin D can be obtained by consuming alfalfa, mushrooms, and products fortified with vitamin D, such as milk and cereals. However, the largest source of vitamin D is the body exposed to sunlight. Get enough vitamin D by sunbathing for about 15 minutes every day.
Step 2. Exercise during adolescence and puberty
During adolescence, the body grows taller if you exercise regularly. Get in the habit of exercising to train muscles for at least 60 minutes every day.
- Become a gym member. While working out at the gym, you can use a variety of machines to build muscle and train your body as a whole. In addition, you will also stay motivated to exercise (because it will feel awkward if you are in the gym, but not exercising).
- Join the game sports team. This step can trigger the spirit of competition so that the burning of calories increases and makes the body taller. The interesting thing is that when you play a game in a team, you don't realize that you are exercising.
- Alternatively, set aside time for walking. If you don't have time to work out at the gym or in a team, make it a habit to walk to the supermarket, to the library, or to school.
Step 3. Get in the habit of getting a good night's sleep every day
Body growth occurs during sleep at night. So, the longer you sleep at night, the more time for body growth. Preteens or under the age of 20 need 9-11 hours of sleep a night every day.
Human growth hormone (HGH) is naturally produced by the body, especially when sleeping at night or when brain waves slow down. Adequate sleep makes the pituitary gland in the brain produce HGH
Step 4. Recognize that height is strongly influenced by genetics
Scientists have proven that 60-80% of the determinants of height are genes. The results of this research apply to people who inherit the gene for being tall or not. However, don't assume you can't be tall if your parents are short. You're more likely to be short if your parents are short.
Step 5. Don't stunt your body's growth
There are many ways that can be done to elevate the body, but do not let environmental conditions hinder the growth of the body. Drugs and alcohol inhibit the growth of the body when consumed in youth and malnutrition prevents the body from growing to its full potential.
- "Does caffeine inhibit body growth?" Scientific studies show that caffeine does not inhibit the body's growth. However, caffeine consumption can disrupt sleep patterns so you can't sleep well. Children and teens need 9-10 hours of sleep every night. You find it difficult to fall asleep if you consume caffeine so you don't get enough sleep at night.
- "Does smoking inhibit the growth of the body?" The impact of smoking and being a passive smoker on body mass index cannot be ascertained. Columbia University's Internet Health Resource scientists stated, "Although several studies that have been conducted have failed to prove this, scientists believe that children who smoke or are passive smokers are shorter than children who do not smoke or are not passive smokers."
- "Do steroids inhibit body growth?" Of course. Anabolic steroids inhibit bone growth in young children and adolescents, decrease sperm production, inhibit breast growth, increase blood pressure, and increase the risk of having a heart attack. The average height of children and adolescents with asthma and taking breath lozenges containing a small dose of the steroid budesonide was generally 1 cm lower than those not taking steroids.
Step 6. Know that you don't get taller in your 20s
Many teens wonder in the mirror, "Am I not getting taller?" If you are not yet 18 years old, the answer is "No!" You're still getting taller during puberty. Be grateful that there is still time to get taller, instead of questioning how tall you will be.
Method 2 of 2: Making the Body Impression Taller
Step 1. Maintain good posture
Get in the habit of standing or sitting up straight, instead of slouching. Pull your shoulders back a little. Good posture makes you look taller!
Step 2. Wear tights
Tight clothes make the body shape exposed. If you wear loose clothes, your body shape is not visible so you seem short. Choose tights that make you appear confident, rather than those that make you feel nervous or uncomfortable.
Step 3. Wear high heels to make you look taller
Don't wear heels or flip-flops.
Step 4. Highlight the most attractive body parts
If you have long legs, wear shorts or mini skirts to expose your legs. Do not wear loose trousers because it makes the legs look short so that the body looks short.
Step 5. Wear dark clothes
Slim bodies usually seem taller. If you wear clothes that give the impression of being slim, you are more likely to appear taller. For that, wear black, dark blue, dark green clothes. As much as possible, wear dark tops and bottoms.
Step 6. Choose clothes with vertical stripes
Vertical striped clothes make the body seem taller. Do not wear horizontal striped clothes because it makes the body seem short.
Tips
- Exercise skipping (jumping rope) helps to elevate the body. Take time to practice skipping every day. In addition, do yoga postures, such as tadasana that are useful for elevating the body. Get in the habit of practicing yoga every morning because yoga can help your body grow.
- To get taller, stretch the muscles as much as possible, but don't push yourself. In addition, undergo massage therapy while lying on the floor. Massage helps relax the muscles so that the body becomes taller.
- Whether you are short or tall, there are pros and cons to everything. So, learn to accept yourself as you are.
- Do not diet in the age of growth because the diet inhibits the growth of the body.
- Teenagers need to eat enough protein. Consume 0.15 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. If you weigh 50 kg, consume 75 grams of protein at each meal.
- Wear long clothes if you are skinny. If your body is fat, try to lose weight so that body growth does not stop because of weight.
- Wear leggings, yoga pants, or tight jeans. Loose sweaters or jeans make the body seem short.
