How to Become Taller Naturally

More than one scholar has said that people are endlessly engaged in defensive strategies to cope with body experiences. But research does tell us that whether you are a man or a woman, as a taller person you have a slight tendency to have a higher IQ than a shorter person. Of course, the link between height and IQ can be accounted for with other possible influences such as birth order, family size, wealth and race. Were your ancestors tall? Were your health and nutrition needs met? Did you get the most attention among siblings? Those are factors in how you turned out.

Things You'll Need

• Vitamins, supplements

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Instructions

• 1

  Know that you can’t generally make yourself taller. Oh, you can diddle with artificial drugs such as human growth hormone, but that’s dangerous and the side effects are relatively unknown. And to complicate things, when you hit your 40s, the amount of hormone needed for height is reduced. What you can do, however, is to make sure that you have all the right vitamins and minerals in your daily regiment. Calcium is a given. It just feeds bones and helps to make them strong; and a minimum of 800 mg a day is the recommended dose. Children need more and menopausal women may need up to 1200 mg. of calcium as they age. Vitamin D, magnesium, vitamin C and the hard-to-get vitamin K are also beneficial and you can take them as supplements.

• 2

  Get a bone density test. In the past, the only way to diagnose weak bones was after they became fragile and broken. Today there is a bone density test, also called a DEXA scan—or densitometry—that can help to determine if you have a propensity for osteoporosis or are at risk of having brittle or weak bones that are capable of breaking. The density test actually measures the mineral content and density that is packed into your bone. Your family doctor is the go-to person for this advice and follow-up treatment if needed.

• 3

  Be aware that physical activity is key. You can’t escape exercise. It’s the weight-bearing exercises that tell your bones to toughen up and to keep building density. Exercise also promotes both movement and the strength to hold yourself erect. By exercising using medium to heavy weights, you are fooling your body into continually building bone to handle the extra load, it's that simple (and that hard to do it consistently).

• 4

  Diet for bones specifically. Work to prevent osteoporosis. Calcium in real foods such as dairy products is the most beneficial for aging bones too. We all can eat better to help keep bones strong and much of this can be obtained from dairy products, yogurt and cheese. Protein from meats and eggs are essential for the marrow or the red portion of bones as well. Zinc from brewer's yeast or wheat bran and wheat germ is a good idea. On the other hand, you should restrict your alcohol intake as overconsumption just leeches important nutrients from your diet.

• 5

  Watch your weight. Being overweight or taking on extra weight is a detriment to good spine health as well. As we age, our vertebrae in the back begin to lose minerals and get thinner. Also, the fluid between each of these spinal bones diminishes. Loss of muscle mass in your back and the spine, and having to hold extra weight gain creates a tendency to make people hunch over when they stand.Try to counter the extra pounds that you might gain as you grow older by doing brisk 30-minute walks every day, or, if you are the outdoor, adventurous type, try off-path hiking or climbing. Increase your activity and the length of time doing it, to compensate for growing older and larger.

• 6

  Try Pilates. This exercise is known for building your “core”—the muscles in your middle that help to support your body. But the manipulations associated with Pilates also keep your bones flexible and supple. You might even add a ballet barre routine or other types of stretching—such as using a lightweight exercise band, tai chi or some other balancing ritual into your lifestyle. Posture supporting bras and specialized undergarments might also help keep shoulders and body erect.

• 7

  Don’t forget about massage or even rolfing, a system that attempts to align the body. For example, in these disciplines, the legs are aligned to the hips, shoulders to the rib cage and the body is positioned over the feet correctly; they are both forms of realignment to reduce stress or a joint that’s become poorly positioned.

• 8

  Stop smoking. Cigarette smoke creates free radicals and that translates into molecules that attack bone and overwhelm the body's immune system and its natural defenses. Nicotine kills osteoblasts, the very material cells that make up and build bones from the inside out. These toxins created by cigarettes also trigger increased levels of the hormone cortisol, which leads to bone breakdown. Smoking is a dangerous cocktail mainly because bones take so long to build and recover, and the products from cigarettes work faster with damage.