Unfortunately, there is no way of putting inches on your frame instantly, or most of the world would have used the trick by now. Growing taller is mostly about genes. What that means is the DNA that your parents passed down to you. About 20% of growing taller, however, is affected by how much you exercise, sleep, and eat before and during your puberty years. Growing taller may seem so needed, but really you are perfect the way you are! Here are just some types for who just can't wait to grow![1][2] If you want to get taller fast, read on for some good tips on how to sprout inches in several different ways.
Understand that there's no shame in artificially getting taller. Women, especially, do it all the time. You may be too young to start wearing high heels, but you can understand some other tips and tricks of looking taller while you wait for your growth spurt to fully kick in.
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Wear tight-fitting clothing. Wearing tight-fitting clothing, such as skinny jeans, helps to accentuate the lines of your form. When you wear baggy clothing, those lines aren't really defined, making you appear more squat. Skinny jeans, especially, will define your leg length and will cling on nicely to your leg shape, attracting attention to your leg shape rather than your height.
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Wear heels. Wearing heels is an instant boost. You can grow anywhere from a couple inches to six inches as soon as you put them on. With a pair of heels on, people will look at you or up to you instead of down to you. When you first meet a person, their first impression won't be of your height, but rather of your facial features.
Walking in high heels is a serious skill that takes practice. Walking around like you're on a tightrope is hardly attractive to guys. Take the time to really feel comfortable in high heels before you rock them. Because rock them you should.
Walking in high heels can be dangerous and damaging to your feet. Try to wear insoles and moleskin, as well as breaking new shoes in before going out in them. This will save you the disgrace of having to take your heels off after an hour or two.
If you don't want to wear obviously big heels, look for shoes with thick soles. Or buy shoes that are a little too big, and put a few extra foot pads in there for added height.
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Show off your legs with a nice, tight skirt. Show off your legs instead of having them hide behind a pair of leggings. Sporting a skirt will help you accentuate their natural length instead of covering them up.
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Go for medium or short hair. You may think that longer hair would make you look taller. But in fact, longer hair takes attention away from your neck and neckline, making you appear smaller. Instead, opt for short or medium length hair. These hairstyles will put the emphasis back on your neck; if you have a fairly tall neck, these hairstyles will be aces!
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Wear slimming colors in order to look taller. Slimming colors such as black, navy blue, and forest green will help you appear taller. How? By making your body appear slimmer. Going for slimming top and slimming bottom gets you double the effect.
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Wear vertical stripes. Vertical stripes make you look taller. For women, try out a pair of vertically striped pants, or maybe even a collared shirt. Avoid the horizontally striped tees — these have the opposite effect of making you appear squatter.
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Layer smartly. Layering your clothes, believe it or not, can have an effect on how tall you look. Go for a v-neck over your tank top, for example, to elongate your chest and body. When you layer with dark colors, always put the dark color on the outside, as this is the color that people will remember.
Method 2 of 2: Getting Taller Naturally
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Adjust your posture. You may not realize the ways in which your posture is depriving you of height. A slight slumping of the shoulders, leaning forward of the head and neck, and habitually standing with your weight on one leg can all subtract from your height. Walk with a book on your head to train your body to keep your spine as erect as possible. Stand with your legs straight, and no further than hip width apart. Stick your chin up a little. Not only will it add some extra height, but it'll also make you look more confident.
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Get more sleep. Did you know you only grow when you're asleep? Your body produces a hormone called HGH (or human growth hormone) while you sleep.[3] This hormone helps you develop muscle and actually grow taller. So if you're serious about getting taller, get serious about catching more Zs.
How much should you sleep? According to doctors:
School-age children should get between 10 and 11 hours of sleep.[4]
Teens and those just under 18 should get at least 9 to 10 hours of sleep.
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Eat right. A balanced diet filled with plenty of healthy nutrients will probably have an effect on how much you grow. That means staying away from the cakes, sodas, and pizzas and reaching for the salads, whole grains, and fish. If you're having trouble motivating yourself to eat these "yucky" foods, search for different recipes and look for combinations of food that you find naturally appealing.
Put lean protein into your diet. Lean protein includes white poultry meat (chicken breast), fish, dairy, and soy products. Protein will help you gain muscle as well. A meal without protein is a missed opportunity to get taller.
Put zinc into your body. Although the studies are far from conclusive, the scientific evidence may point to a possible connection between zinc deficiencies and stunted growth.[5] That means get your zinc or risk the possibility of stunting your growth.
Put calcium into your body. Again, there is little direct evidence between calcium and getting taller, but calcium is an essential ingredient in helping you grow strong bones.[6] Strong bones could mean taller bones.
Get enough vitamin D in your body. Vitamin D helps you grow stronger bones and promotes muscle growth in children.[7] A deficiency of vitamin D has been linked to stunted growth and even weight gain in teenage girls, a recent study has found.[8]
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Exercise. Whatever you do, take the time to exercise. Exercise is a powerful activity that can help you fight a long list of ailments. If you want to grow tall during your teen years especially, get in the habit of exercising your body. Exercising will force you to eat well, which is a staple of growing taller.
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Wait for time to make you taller. If you do all of the previous steps, there's a good chance that you've given your body the most you can give it to grow taller. Not everyone is going to be as tall as a basketball player or model. The flip side is that being tall isn't everything there is in life, and overcoming that physical and emotional hurdle might even help you in the long run.
Your growth plates fuse together at the end of puberty, which is when you stop growing.[1] When you hit the end of puberty, you can by and large expect to stop growing.
Know that you can go through puberty and still not hit your growth spurt until the tail end of puberty. Some people are "late bloomers" and only hit their big growth spurt when they turn 17, 18 or beyond.
If you are really concerned, see your pediatric endocrinologist. This doctor will be able to give you valuable information about possible medical courses you may take in order to combat low growth.
