FAQ Guide Version 0

Q&A: Your Height Growth Questions Answered!

In this post, I’m going to answer some common questions people have asked me about growing taller.

I’ve divided the questions into 3 different sections:

1) Follow-up questions to my guide and stretches

2) Questions about HGH and Growth Factor Plus

3) General height related questions

Let’s get right into it.

Part 1

Guide & Exercises Follow-Up

Part 2

HGH & Growth Factor Plus

Part 3

General Height Questions

Part 1: Guide and Exercises Follow-Up

Part 1

Guide and Stretches Follow-Up

In this section, I’m going to answer some follow-up questions to my height growth guide and bonus stretches.

If you haven’t gotten the chance to access my guide or stretches, here they are:

Guide: How I Grew 3.0 cm When I Was 23 Years Old

4 Stretches to Become Taller (With Less Effort)

With that, let’s get to the questions:

How fast will I see progress from applying your techniques?

If you apply the techniques I taught you in the guide, you should become noticeably taller within the first few weeks.

But if you want to fully maximize your height, stick to my techniques until you stop seeing any further growth.

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I’ve been following your guide for a week, but haven’t grown 3 cm yet. Does your guide really work?

Everyone is going to get different results, since our body structures are all different.

Your results are going to depend on:

– How good or bad your posture is when you started,

– How accurately you measure your height, and

– How consistently you stick to all the techniques.

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Did you grow taller permanently?

Yes.

Having said that, if you want to stay permanently taller, you need to actually maintain a tall posture and continue sleeping well [1].

But here’s the good news:

Once you get used to having a good posture and sleeping well, you won’t want to go back to your old habits 🙂

Maintaining a good posture and improving your sleep will improve your health in countless number of ways [2, 3, 4].

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I grew 2.5 cm taller, but I shrink every night. Does this really work?

It’s normal for your height to shrink by night time [1].

So in order to determine how much you’ve actually grown, measure in the morning every single time.

For example: let’s say that you are 165 cm in the morning, but 164 cm at night.

But after applying my techniques, you become 166 cm in the morning, but 165 cm at night.

In that case, you should subtract your morning heights:

166 cm – 165 cm = +1 cm

Bottom line?

Measure at the same time every day, preferably in the morning.

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I find it hard to sleep without my pillow. Is there any other solution?

If you find it hard to remove your pillow completely, you can first replace your current pillow with a thinner pillow.

(And if you don’t want to buy another pillow, you can simply fold up a towel until it’s at your preferred thickness.)

Once you get comfortable sleeping on the thinner pillow, try getting rid of your pillow completely then.

And remember: you must become a back sleeper first before you remove your pillow, or you’ll put your spine in an unnatural position [5, 6].

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My mattress is very soft, so when I lie down, my back sinks into the mattress. I want to sleep on a harder surface, but I don’t want to buy another mattress. Do you have any other solutions?

If your body sinks into your mattress too much, I recommend looking into mattresses that are firmer.

And if you don’t want to buy another mattress, look for a firm mattress pad. They’re cheaper and easier to set up than mattresses.

(You can find them on Amazon or your local mattress store.)

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I can’t afford a standing desk. Do you have any other solutions?

You can simply create your own standing desk like I did:

And if you’re too lazy to do that, just maintain a good posture when you sit, and take a break from sitting at least once every 30 minutes.

I explain how to maintain a good sitting posture in my guide.

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What is the best stretch for maximizing my height?

It depends.

Remember that my stretches will help you become taller by relaxing the muscles that become tight in your body.

Here is a quick guide on which stretch to focus on:

– If you find that your neck muscles get tight easily, do the Nod-And-Shake.

– If you find that your hips or stomach get tight easily, do the Body Twisters.

– If your chest and shoulders get tight, do the Magic Circles.

– If you use one side of your body much more than the other, do the Wall Reach.

If you need a refresher on how to do these stretches, click here.

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Part 2: HGH and Growth Factor Plus

Part 2

HGH and Growth Factor Plus

In this section, I’m going to answer frequently asked questions about HGH and Growth Factor Plus.

Here are the resources for this section:

How to Increase HGH Naturally (to Grow Taller)

Growth Factor Plus (In-Depth Review)

Here are the questions:

What is Human Growth Hormone exactly? And how can it help me grow taller?

Human Growth Hormone (also called HGH) is a hormone that’s produced in your pituitary gland, which is located in your brain [9].

Since it performs many different functions in your body, it’s essential for keeping you healthy [10].

But most importantly, it’s essential for making you grow taller [11].

During your childhood and teenage years, HGH is what’s responsible for lengthening your bones [11].

And even after you’re done growing, HGH can help you maximize your height by lengthening your spinal discs [12, 13, 14].

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Is HGH safe?

Yes.

HGH is produced naturally in your body, and without it, you would not be alive reading this [9].

But remember: stay away from HGH injections and needles (unless your doctor or pediatrician recommends you to take them) [15].

Instead, you want to increase your HGH naturally.

Natural HGH vs Synthetic HGH

Natural HGH: Hormone that is secreted naturally from your pituitary glands
Synthetic HGH: Artificially made chemical that you put in your body via medicine, drugs, or injections

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How can I increase HGH naturally?

There are many ways to increase your HGH naturally, such as:

– Doing high-intensity exercises [16]

– Consuming less sugar [17]

– Intermittent fasting [18]

You can also increase HGH naturally by taking Growth Factor Plus, but it is a pricier option.

If you want to go over how to increase your HGH naturally, read my full guide here.

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How can Growth Factor Plus increase my HGH?

Growth Factor Plus contains 5 amino acids that increase your HGH naturally:

1) L-Ornithine [19]

2) L-Arginine [19, 20, 21]

3) L-Lysine [19]

4) L-Glutamine [22]

5) L-Glycine [23]

And by consuming these amino acids regularly, you can increase your HGH naturally, which can help you lengthen your spinal discs [12, 13, 14].

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I already applied the techniques from your guide. Do I need to take Growth Factor Plus also?

Growth Factor Plus is an optional step, and you should only take it if you want to maximize your results.

In other words, think of this as bodybuilding.

If you’re a bodybuilder, you’d do everything you can to build muscle, by:

– Going to the gym and working out,

– Eating the right foods, and

– Taking protein supplements.

However, if you take protein supplements WITHOUT going to the gym, you wouldn’t gain any muscle.

Similarly, if you want to maximize your height, you need to start applying my foundational techniques first, or you won’t see results.

But once you’ve done that, you can try Growth Factor Plus to get even better results with my techniques.

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I’m 16 years old. Can I take Growth Factor Plus?

No. Growth Factor Plus is for anyone who is 18 years or older.

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Is Growth Factor Plus safe? I don’t want any side effects.

Growth Factor Plus is made up of natural ingredients that are found in herbs and plants.

And since it’s made in a cGMP-certified lab, these natural ingredients are high in quality.

So far, there have been no reports of anyone experiencing any side effects from taking Growth Factor Plus.

However, if you want to avoid side effects at all costs, check the ingredients and make sure you’re not allergic to any of them.

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Can I get Growth Factor Plus for cheaper?

Yes.

If you get 3 bottles of Growth Factor Plus, you’ll save $169 since you get 1 bottle for free:

On top of that, you can save another $67.60 by applying my 20% coupon code.

When you check out, click on “Have a Promo Code?”

Afterwards, just enter my promo code HM20, and you’ll save another $67.60, and pay $270.40 (instead of $338).

And if you live in the United States, you can get free shipping as well.

Keep in mind that if you don’t see any results after finishing your bottles, you can simply contact the merchant and ask for a refund within 90 days of your purchase.

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What if it doesn’t make me taller?

If you take Growth Factor Plus while applying my tips, it should help you get better results.

But even if it doesn’t work, you have nothing to risk, since the merchant offers a 90-day money back guarantee.

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Part 3: General Height Related Questions

Part 3

General Height Related Questions

I’m 18 years old, and I want to grow 6 cm. Is it possible?

It depends.

If your bones are still growing naturally, it’s possible to grow 6 cm or even more.

There are a few well-known basketball players who kept growing after the age of 18 [24].

However, if your bones are done growing, you probably can’t grow 6 cm [25].

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I’m 42 years old. Can I still grow taller?

Since you’re 42 years old, you can’t lengthen your bones (unless you get surgery).

But you can still grow taller by fixing your posture and lengthening your spinal discs [26, 27, 28].

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At what age do your bones stop growing naturally?

This age differs for everyone [25].

For me, I stopped growing when I was 18 years old.

But there is a basketball player who grew more than 10 cm when he was 22 years old [29].

And there are others who stop growing when they’re 16 years old.

So, the only way you can find out when you stop growing is to measure your height regularly, and you’ll notice when you stop growing naturally.

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Can you lengthen your legs after puberty? I don’t want a long torso and short legs.

Once your bones stop growing completely, you can’t lengthen your arms, legs, or any other limbs. You can only lengthen your spinal discs.

And if you’re worried about not looking proportional, you don’t have to worry.

Maximizing your spine length is ACTUALLY how you make your body look the most natural.

In fact, by having short spinal discs, you’re putting yourself at risk of having back problems as you get older [30, 31].

So at the end of the day:

Maximizing your spine length will make your body look more natural AND save you from massive pain as you get older.

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How much do our genetics affect our height?

It is widely spread on the internet that 80% of your height is determined by genetics [32].

And while this number is still being verified by many scientists, you just need to know that genetics isn’t the ONLY factor that determines your height [33].

So if your bones are still growing naturally, there are many lifestyle changes you can make to promote further growth [34].

And if your bones are done growing, you can still apply the techniques I’ve taught you in order to fully maximize your height [26, 27, 28].

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Do grow taller subliminals work?

I’m not sure.

I’ve listened to them in the past, but I haven’t listened to them for long enough to get any results from them.

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How much does it cost to get height surgery, and should you get it?

It depends on the hospital, but height surgeries can range from $97,500 to $280,000 USD depending on which bones you choose to lengthen [35].

And if you want to know my opinion, I recommend that you stay away from height surgeries.

Not only will they cost you a ton of money, but you’ll also go through massive amounts of pain, and it can cause your bones to become permanently weaker.

So, unless you’re desperate to increase your height by 10 cm or more, I suggest that you simply stick to my natural techniques.

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Appendix: Resources

Appendix

Resources

conditions

Here are the resources for this Q & A post:

Guide: How I Grew 3.0 cm When I Was 23 Years Old

4 Stretches to Become Taller (With Less Effort)

How to Increase HGH Naturally (to Grow Taller)

Growth Factor Plus (In-Depth Review)

If you want to purchase Growth Factor Plus, click here, and don’t forget to apply my 20% discount code when you check out: HM20

That’s it for now!

Cheers,
Jason

Stretches Guide Version 0

4 Stretches to Become Taller (With Less Effort)

If you’ve been following the Posture Hacks that I taught you in the height growth guide, you should already have become noticeably taller.

But at first, you may notice that maintaining a good posture feels kind of awkward, or even worse, hard to do consistently.

Why?

It’s because you have muscles in your body that get tight from sitting and leaning forward all day.

So, how can you free up these muscles?

By doing my 4 Height Maximizing Stretches.

By doing these stretches every day, I’ve freed up the tightest muscles in my body, which has helped me maintain a taller posture with way less effort.

And luckily for you, I’m going to show you exactly how to do each of these 4 stretches.

What You Need

In order to do these stretches, all you need is the following:

Yoga mat

Flat wall, and

A bit of room.

That’s it.

So without further ado, let’s dive right in.

Height Maximizing Stretch #1: Body Twisters

As you sit and crunch all day, the muscles in your core become very tight, which makes it much harder to maintain a good posture [1, 2].

So, how can you free up your core?

By doing the Body Twisters.

This stretch loosens up your abdominals and side oblique muscles, which are at the front part of your core.

Here is how you do the Body Twisters:

1. Lie down on your mat, and extend your body fully by putting your arms and hands above your head, and your legs straight.

2. Twist your body by bringing your left leg towards your right side, and at the same time, bring both of your arms to the left side of your body, while turning your head towards your left side as well.

When you do this, make sure to stretch your body all the way. You should feel a good stretch on the right side of your abs and obliques.

3. Go back to your original position, and repeat the exact same movement the other way. When you switch directions, you should feel a good stretch on the left side of your abs and obliques.

4. Repeat this movement both ways for 10 repetitions. Make sure to go slowly, so that you can fully stretch out your tight abdominal and oblique muscles.

Height Maximizing Stretch #2: Nod-And-Shake

You neck muscles also tend to get very tight as you sit all day [1].

And the Nod-And-Shake helps you loosen and free up your neck muscles.

Now, this stretch has 2 parts to it:

1. Nod, and

2. Shake

(That was pretty obvious…)

The Nod focuses on loosening the front and back part of your neck, and the Shake focuses on loosening the left and right side of your neck (such as your trapezius).

First, here is how you do the Nod:

1. Sit on your yoga mat, with your legs extended in front of you, and your hands on the ground, with your fingers pointing to your sides.

2. Look up towards the ceiling, and hold this position for a second. At this point, you should feel a good stretch in the muscles below your chin.

3. Bring your chin down as far as you can, and look down to the floor. Hold this position for about a second. This should stretch the back part of your neck.

4. Repeat this up and down movement with your neck for 10 repetitions.

Next, here is how you do the Shake:

1. Turn your head towards your left side as far as you can. When you’ve reached your limit, hold this position for about 1 second.

2. Turn your head towards your right side, and once again, turn as much as possible. When you’ve reached your limit, hold this position for about 1 second.

3. Just like the Nod, you want to repeat this movement for 10 repetitions on each side.

Also, remember to keep your chin relatively low when you do this stretch.

Height Maximizing Stretch #3: Magic Circles

When you sit and slouch, your shoulders tend to become round, which causes your chest muscles to become very short and tight [3].

And the Magic Circles will help you loosen up your tight chest muscles (also called your pectoralis major and minor).

Here is how you do the Magic Circles:

1. Stand on your feet at shoulder-width apart.

2. Extend your arms fully to your sides, with your palms facing up.

3. Slowly move your arms in a circular direction. Repeat this circular motion 10 times.

When you’re making these circles, make sure that you reach as far as you can towards your sides. That way, you’ll feel your chest muscles being fully stretched during every repetition.

4. Change directions, and once again, repeat this circular movement in the opposite direction, 10 times.

Remember to stretch out your arms as far as you can, and you’ll get much more out of this stretch.

Height Maximizing Stretch #4: Wall Reach

I’m sure that you use one hand, one arm, or one leg, much more than the other.

And over time, this can cause one side of your body to become much tighter than the other, which can bring your spine out of its proper alignment [4].

And the Wall Reach will help you balance out the left and right side of your body, by stretching out your serratus anterior, latissimus dorsi, and external obliques.

Here is how you do the Wall Reach:

1. Stand in front of a flat wall, with your feet shoulder-width apart. Make sure that your toes, thighs, stomach, chest, and your chin are all touching the wall.

Don’t mind my rooster hair 😂

2. Raise your right arm, and make a circle until your right hand reaches the top. Reach as far as you can, but make sure that your feet stay flat on the ground.

3. After you hold this position for 2 to 3 seconds, bring your right arm back down.

4. Repeat this movement 2 more times, for a total of 3 repetitions.

And remember to keep your entire body against the wall at all times. This will ensure that you’re stretching the muscles that need to be stretched.

5. Repeat the same movement for your left arm, for a total of 3 repetitions.

Quick note: If you notice that one side of your body is shorter than the other, hold the stretch longer for your shorter side.

For example, if you use your right hand more than your left, you’ll find that your right side is slightly tighter and shorter than your left side.

And if that’s the case, make sure to stretch out your right side longer than your left.

6. Turn to your left side, and place the entire right side of your body against the wall.

7. Bring your right arm in front of you, and make a circle until your right hand reaches the top.

8. After holding this position for 2 to 3 seconds, bring your right arm back down. Repeat this movement 2 more times, for a total of 3 repetitions.

Once again, make sure to reach as high as you possibly can, while keeping both of your feet flat on the floor. This will help you fully stretch out your body.

9. Turn around, and place the entire left side of your body against the wall. Repeat the same exact movement for your left side, for a total of 3 repetitions.

10. Turn your body so that your back is touching the wall. Make sure that the heel of your feet, your butt, the upper part of your back, and your head are all touching the wall.

11. Raise both of your arms at the same time, and create a circle until your hands reach the top. Remember to keep your feet flat on the floor, and stretch out your body as much as you can.

12. After you hold this position for 2 to 3 seconds, bring your arms back down. Repeat this movement 2 more times, for a total of 3 repetitions.

And there you have it!

Remember: Safety First!

As I mentioned in the guide:

When you do these stretches, remember to distinguish good pain vs bad pain.

Like with any new workout routine, it’s going to be normal to feel sore when you first do these stretches.

And if you feel sore, that’s GOOD pain.

But, if you ever feel any weird type of pain in your bones or joints, that’s BAD pain, and you should stop immediately.

Although these exercises are designed to help you become taller and healthier, you should never force anything that doesn’t feel right.

Remember: Safety first!

Guide Version 0

How I Grew 3.0 cm When I Was 23 Years Old

By Jason Yoon

Want to Download Your Guide or Read It Here?

Hey!

If you want to download this guide as a PDF ebook, click here.

And if you want to read it here, just keep scrollin.

Enjoy 🙂

2 Quick Reminders Before We Begin

I know you’re eager to find out what I did to grow 3.0 cm when I was 23 years old.

But first, I want to make 2 important reminders:

1. Please Visit Your Doctor First

Everything I’m going to teach you is meant to help you live a healthier lifestyle.

But remember that everyone’s body is different, and what’s best for me might not be the best for you.

So before you do anything, please consult your doctor first.

2. Measure and Record Your Height From Day 1

If you want to want to show off to your friends and family, this step is a must.

So before you apply any technique in this guide, remember to measure and record your height.

Because if you forget to capture your height from day 1, you can’t go back in time.

So… How Did I Even Grow 3.0 cm as a 23-Year-Old Adult?

You may be thinking:

How is it possible to grow taller as an adult? Don’t you stop growing after you’re 18 years old?

Without getting overly scientific, I will briefly explain the science of how I grew taller as an adult.

How You Can Grow Taller As an Adult

After you reach a certain age, your bones stop growing completely. This age differs for everyone [1, 2].

But for me, I stopped growing when I was around 18 years old.

So, how did I grow 3.0 cm taller… 5 years after my bones stopped growing?

By increasing the length of my spine.

Let me explain.

How Your Spine Can Lengthen At Any Age

Here is a diagram of your spine:

Your spine has 24 bones in total (if you don’t include the bottom tailbone, which is made up of the Sacrum and Coccyx) [3].

The light blue regions between these bones are called spinal discs.

And since there are 24 bones in your spine, there are 23 spinal discs in total.

Now, here’s what’s cool about your spinal discs:

Your spinal discs can change in length, no matter how old you are [4].

And by maximizing the length of my spinal discs, I was able to grow 3.0 cm as a 23-year-old adult.

Now, I’m not the only adult who has increased my spine length successfully.

There are several 65-year-old seniors with lower back pain who have also increased their spine length, through a process called spine decompression [5].

So if 65-year-olds can increase their spine length, you can too.

Now that you understand how I grew taller as an adult, let’s dive into the most exciting part of this guide:

How I Grew 3.0 cm When I Was 23 Years Old

There are only 2 things that I did to grow 3.0 cm taller.

Ready?

Here they are:

1. I fixed my posture, and

2. I optimized my sleep.

That’s it.

If you literally do these 2 things, you’ll become taller as soon as tomorrow.

Now you may be thinking:

WTF Jason! I’ve already done those 2 things, and I haven’t grown at all!

Well, there are 3 possible reasons why you think you haven’t grown:

1. You haven’t optimized your posture OR sleep properly,

2. You’ve actually grown a bit, but you haven’t noticed since you didn’t measure your height, or

3. Both your posture and sleeping habits are already perfect, so you have no height left to grow.

If your posture and sleep are fully optimized, you can put away this guide.

But I doubt that’s the case.

Most of us (including myself) ALWAYS have room to improve when it comes to these two factors.

And in the following 2 sections, I’m going to reveal EVERYTHING that I did to optimize my posture and sleep…

…and ultimately grow 3.0 cm.

Step 1: Hack Your Posture to Grow Taller

I’m sure that you came across this tip 1000 times before picking up this guide.

But why is this such popular advice when it comes to getting taller?

Because not only does fixing your posture make you appear taller…

…it also increases the length of your spinal discs.

If you have a poor posture, it’s the same as having 60 lbs (or 23 kg) of weight on your neck [6, 7]:

So by fixing my posture, I reduced the weight on my neck, which helped me lengthen my spinal discs.

Bottom line?

Fixing your posture makes you appear taller AND increases the length of your spinal discs.

My Ugly Posture Back in High School

If you don’t have the best posture right now, don’t feel bad.

Because no matter how bad your posture is, I’m sure you still look way better than me back in high school:

I told you.

But thanks to what I’m about to show you, I was able to fix my ugly posture, and grow 3.0 cm!

2 Keys to Having a Perfect Posture

If you want to maintain a good posture, there are only 2 things you need to focus on [8]:

1. Keeping the left & right sides of your body symmetrical, and

2. Keeping your ears, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, and ankles all in one straight line.

That’s it.

Now that you know what correct vs incorrect postures look like, it’s time for me to show you my ultimate posture hacks:

Posture Hack #1: Do The Wall Posture Fix

To fix your standing posture, you can do what I call the “Wall Posture Fix.”

Here is how to Do The Wall Posture Fix:

1. Go to a wall.

2. Put your ankles, butt, shoulder blades, and the back of your head against the wall.

3. To align your head properly, tuck in your chin while looking straight. This will pop your chest out, and put your spine in its neutral position.

4. Hold this position for 15 seconds.

Once your entire body is against the wall, I want you to pay attention to how you feel.

If it feels pretty natural, that means your posture is already pretty good.

But if it feels tight, awkward, or uncomfortable, it means that your posture needs to improve.

If you want to fix and maintain your standing posture as fast as possible, do this exercise at least twice a day.

(It doesn’t take long anyway)

Posture Hack #2: Optimize Your Sitting Posture

If you’re like me, you probably spend most of your time sitting.

So it’s very important that your sitting posture is on point.

Here are 6 simple steps you can take to fix your sitting posture [8]:

1. Find a comfortable chair to sit on. If possible, get a chair that has an adjustable height, and armrests.

2. Place your butt and shoulders on the back of the chair.

3. Look forward, and tilt your head so that your chin points downwards. This will pop your chest out and put your spine in its neutral position.

4. Place your arms on the armrests. Your elbows should be bent at 90° to 120°.

5. Adjust the height of the chair so that your feet are flat on the ground. Your thighs and knees should both be bent at 90° to 120°.

6. If you’re sitting in front of your computer, adjust the height of your monitor so that your eyes are facing the top of your monitor.

(If you’re using a laptop, simply place books or other flat items underneath it.)

Also, make sure that your monitor is 45 to 70 cm (18 to 24 inches) away from your eyes.

Posture Hack #3: Minimize Your Sitting Time

Even if you follow the steps that I just laid out for you, it’s best for you to sit less [9].

Why?

Sitting can shrink your spinal discs more than when you stand [10].

And I’m sure you already know that sitting for too long causes many other health problems [11].

So, here are 2 habits I started doing to sit less:

1. Take regular breaks. You can install any free Pomodoro app, which will remind you to take breaks regularly.

2. If you’re too tired to stand, lie down on your stomach.

Posture Hack #4: Use a Standing Desk

Another way to sit less is to use a standing desk.

Since you probably spend a good amount of time on your phone or laptop, using these devices on a standing desk will dramatically shorten the amount of time you sit.

If you don’t want to spend $1000s on expensive standing desks, you don’t need to.

You can simply create a homemade standing desk like I did:

😂😂😂

Now, if you’re thinking about using a standing desk, you should STILL take frequent breaks from whatever you’re doing [12].

Also, it’s important that you maintain a correct posture when using a standing desk.

Here are steps you can take to maintain a good posture while using a standing desk [8, 13]:

1. Keep the left & right sides of your body symmetrical.

2. Keep your ears, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, and ankles all in one straight line.

3. Keep your forearms parallel to the floor, and your elbows bent at 90° to 120°.

4. Make sure that the top of the monitor is at your eye level, 51 to 71 cm (20 to 28 inches) away from your eyes, and is tilted at 20°.

Summary: 4 Posture Hacks to Grow 3.0 cm

1. Optimize your standing posture by doing the Wall Posture Fix.

2. Optimize your sitting posture by following the 6-step process.

3. Minimize your sitting time by taking frequent breaks and lying down on your stomach.

4. Use a standing desk, and remember to maintain a good posture and take frequent breaks.

Step 2: Hack Your Sleep to Grow Taller

Before I increased my height by 3.0 cm, I had terrible sleep habits.

And once I fixed my sleeping habits, I was able to grow taller almost instantly.

But here’s the catch:

If you want to grow taller, there is a specific way to optimize your sleep.

And in this section, I’m going to show you exactly what I did to optimize my sleep for maximum growth.

Sleep Hack #1: Sleep as Much as Possible By Turning Off Your Alarm

This is probably the most important thing that I did to grow 3.0 cm.

Before I grew taller, I used to get 5 hours of sleep on average…

But after I started sleeping for 8 hours, my height increased almost instantly.

Now, I’m not going to give you a specific number when it comes to how much you sleep.

Why?

Because not only does everyone need different amounts of sleep [14], but YOU yourself need different amounts of sleep every night [15].

So in order to find out how much sleep you need, simply turn off your alarm.

If you wake up naturally without anything screaming at you in the morning, you’ll allow your body to sleep as much as it needs to.

Also: turn off anything else in your environment that can wake you up.

(More on this later)

Sleep Hack #2: Sleep on Your Back Without a Pillow

This one is also huge.

A study has shown that increasing your pillow height puts more pressure on your spine [16].

That’s why as soon as I got rid of my pillow, I was able to grow taller by the next morning.

But before I did this, there is one important step that I took:

I became a back sleeper first.

If you sleep on your side or your stomach, getting rid of your pillow can actually put your body in an unnatural position [17].

But if you sleep on your back without a pillow, your head and neck will be aligned in its neutral position [17, 18].

Now, if you’ve been sleeping with a thick pillow for your entire life (like I have), it might feel uncomfortable when you first get rid of your pillow.

So if you find it hard to sleep without a pillow at first, no worries.

Here are some simple steps you can take to sleep without your pillow effortlessly.

How to Sleep Without a Pillow (While Feeling Comfortable):

1. Become a back sleeper first, by lying on your back with your arms straight by your sides.

When you start sleeping on your back, you may find it comfortable to place a thin pillow or a rolled-up towel underneath your upper back, lower back, and/or your knees [17, 19].

2. Once you’re used to sleeping on your back, start sleeping on a thinner pillow.

If you don’t want to buy another pillow, simply grab a towel, and fold it up a few times until it reaches your preferred thickness.

3. Once you’re comfortable sleeping with the thinner pillow, get yourself a thinner pillow, or if possible, get rid of your pillow altogether.

Sleep Hack #3: Get Yourself a Medium-Firm Mattress (or a Firm Mattress Pad)

If your mattress is on the softer side, you may need to get yourself a firmer mattress or mattress pad.

Studies have shown that medium-firm mattresses keep your spine in its proper alignment, and also reduce lower-back pain [20, 21].

Now, I know that buying a whole new mattress (or even a mattress pad) can be annoying and expensive.

But after getting a firmer mattress and seeing myself grow taller (and feeling much better), I don’t regret it at all.

So if you’re truly serious about maximizing your height, I highly recommend that you don’t skip this step.

Now, remember that firmer doesn’t necessarily mean better.

At the end of the day, you must feel comfortable on whatever mattress you sleep on.

So, pick a mattress that’s pretty firm, but not rock-solid.

That’s it.

Sleep Hack #4: Optimize Your Sleep Environment

If you want to maximize your height, it’s not enough to sleep for longer…

…you must also sleep deeper.

And in order to sleep deeper, you’ll need to hack your environment in the right way.

Here are some ways you can hack your environment to get deeper sleep:

1. Cool down your room temperature to 60 to 70 °F (16 to 21 °C). But once again, set the temperature to whatever makes you feel comfortable [22, 23].

2. Close your room door to minimize the noise that enters your room [23]. If you live in a noisy neighborhood, you’ll also want to close your windows.

3. Make your room pitch black by closing your curtains and getting rid of all night lights [23].

4. Sleep with socks on. Having warmer feet will improve your sleep quality [24].

Sleep Hack #5: Exercise During The Day

So far, we talked about ways you can hack your sleep.

But if you want to sleep more deeply, it’s also important to do the right things BEFORE you sleep.

One way to get better sleep is to exercise during the day [25].

So engage in your favorite sport, exercise, or any activity that raises your heartbeat and makes you sweat!

Sleep Hack #6: Get Enough Sunlight (But Avoid Peak Hours)

In order to make you feel sleepy at night, your body produces a chemical called melatonin.

And one of the best ways to produce more melatonin naturally is to get more sunlight during the day [26].

Now, it’s important that you get sunlight by actually going outside (and not just through the windows).

But to avoid sunburn, make sure to avoid peak hours, which happens around 10 am to 2 pm [27].

Sleep Hack #7: Avoid Certain Activities Before Bed

The previous 2 sleep hacks are what you can do during the day to help you sleep better.

But it’s also important that you avoid certain activities at night.

So below is everything you need to avoid doing at night to sleep better.

Activities to Avoid Before Bedtime:

– Drinking too much water [28]

– Eating too much food [29, 30]

– Drinking coffee, tea, or anything with caffeine [29, 30]

– Smoking or drinking alcohol (wine or beer may feel relaxing, but they actually ruin your sleep) [30, 31]

– Stressful activities [30]

– High-intensity exercises (do them earlier in the day) [32]

– Looking at your phone or laptop (light can disrupt your sleep) [32, 33]

Summary: 7 Sleep Hacks to Grow 3.0 cm

1. Sleep as much as possible by turning off your alarm and getting rid of other distractions.

2. Sleep on your back without a pillow.

3. Get yourself a medium-firm mattress or mattress pad.

4. Optimize your sleep environment.

5. Exercise during the day.

6. Get enough sunlight by going outside, but avoid peak hours.

7. Avoid certain activities before bed.

Bonus Section: How to Capture Your Height (and Shock Your Friends)

Here is the best part about growing taller as an adult:

You’ll get to shock your friends and family.

When I applied all of the techniques in this guide and became noticeably taller, my parents and many of my friends were surprised.

But it gets better:

When I showed them my height growth measurements, they were EVEN MORE shocked.

So if you want to shock your friends and family, remember to measure and record your height from day 1.

Now, if you’re not sure how to capture your height properly, it’s super easy.

All you need to do is follow 4 simple rules:

4 Rules for Measuring Your Height Accurately

1. Use the same ruler. In my opinion, using a tape ruler or a cheap wall ruler will do.

(If you’re geeky like me, you can get a Stadiometer, but I think that’s going overkill.)

2. Setup your ruler in the same location and angle. If you’re going to measure in your room the first time, continue measuring in your room afterwards.

3. Measure your height regularly (ideally once a week at least). This will help you know how fast you’re growing, and when you’ve fully maximized your height.

(Remember: if you miss a measurement, there’s no going back!)

4. Don’t wear any socks or shoes when you measure. Pretty obvious.

Congratulations! You Did It!

Congratulations!

You should be proud of yourself for finishing this guide.

The fact that you’re here tells me 2 things about you:

1. You’re open-minded, and are willing to accept the possibility of growing taller as an adult, and

2. You’re very committed, and are willing to do whatever it takes to maximize your height.

And since you’re open-minded and committed, I know that you’re going to grow taller in no time.

Now before I finish off this guide, I want to give you some important reminders:

Reminder #1: Don’t Expect The Same Results as I Got

While everything I’ve taught you will help you grow taller, I can’t promise you any concrete numbers.

You might grow more than 3.0 cm, less than 3.0 cm, or exactly 3.0 cm.

Your results will depend mostly on the following factors:

– How good or bad your posture is right now,

– How precisely you measure your height, and

– How consistently you stick to all of the habits.

Which brings me to my next point:

Reminder #2: Stay Consistent Until You Maximize Your Height

I have good news.

Unlike losing weight or gaining muscle, you’ll see results very quickly.

For me, most of my height growth happened in the first few weeks.

But by staying committed, my height continued to increase gradually over time.

So make sure to stay consistent until you fully maximize your height.

Reminder #3: It’s About Doing The Simple Things Right

You may feel that many of the techniques I taught you in this guide are way too simple.

And you’re right.

Fixing your posture and sleeping well aren’t miraculous achievements.

But will these simple habits help you grow taller? Yes they will.

And let me ask you:

If you want to lose weight or gain muscle, do you need to do anything complicated?

Not really.

All you need to do is go to the gym regularly, eat well, sleep well, drink lots of water, and you’ll get fit.

And when it comes to increasing your height, it’s not complicated either.

So instead of looking for some magical trick, just stick to the basic techniques I’ve taught you in this guide, and you’ll see results in no time.

Reminder #4: Distinguish Good Pain vs Bad Pain

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “No pain, no gain.”

But when it comes to growing taller, this approach is a recipe for failure.

Instead, it’s far more important that you distinguish good pain vs bad pain.

What do I mean?

When you first fix your posture, you might feel a bit sore, because you’re starting to use muscles that you haven’t used in a long time.

And just like when you first start working out at the gym, it’s normal to feel a bit sore in the beginning.

However, you should never feel any sharp pain in your joints or bones, because it means that you’re not doing something right.

So to prevent injuries, please see your doctor before implementing anything from this guide.

Your health and safety should always be your #1 priority.

Do You Want to Inspire Millions of People Like Yourself?

If you’re not happy about your height right now, you’re not alone.

There are many adults around the world who would also like to grow taller.

But sadly, most adults think that it’s not possible to grow even a single cm.

And that’s why you have a chance to become their hero.

By sharing your height growth story on my blog, you’ll inspire millions of adults to become taller just like you.

So if you want to show the world what’s possible, feel free to send me your measurements and success story using my contact form.

(And if you don’t want to show your face, you can simply blur it.)

Once I confirm that your measurements are legit, I will share your story on my blog.

And once your story goes live, you’ll become a hero to millions of adults…

…and inspire them to follow you in achieving something that they’ve never done:

Grow taller as adults.

Look Out for More Height Growth Tips From Me!

The techniques I’ve taught you in this guide are some of the BEST ways to optimize your body for maximum growth.

But just because you’ve perfected everything in this guide, it doesn’t mean you’ve reached the end.

Optimizing your posture and sleep is a never-ending game, and you can ALWAYS improve both areas of your life.

Even to this day, I’m constantly looking for better ways to improve my posture and sleep, so that I can become even taller and healthier than I was yesterday.

And whenever I discover any new ground-breaking technique, you’ll be the first one to find out!

So, look forward to more emails from me, because I’ll be sending you more Height Maximizing tips in the near future 🙂

Talk soon,
Jason

Child Draft 2

The COMPLETE Guide to Helping Your Children Grow Taller (Part 2)

This is a continuation of my guide on helping your children maximize their height.

In part 1, we covered the fundamentals of growing taller.

And in part 2, we’re going to look at additional strategies to boost your child’s growth even further.

Also, if you have children who are:

1. Much shorter than their friends,

2. Almost (or completely) done growing, OR EVEN

3. Growing too fast and want to slow down their growth,

You’ll find part 2 useful.

So without further ado, let’s dive right in.

Quick Note!

If you want to skip to your chapter, simply click the grey button at the top-right side:

(Since the buttons aren’t working properly at the moment, you might have to click the chapter a few times in order to get to it)

Enjoy! 🙂

Contents – Part 2

Chapter 7

Exercises for Maximum Growth

Chapter 8

Top 5 Height Myths Debunked

Chapter 9

Conditions That Hinder Growth

Chapter 10

Avoid Raising a Gigantic Child

Chapter 11

Maximize Height After Growth?

Bonus Chapter

Motivate Your Child to Take Action

Chapter 7: Exercises for Maximum Growth

Chapter 7

Exercises for Maximum Growth

exercises and stretches

In this chapter, I’m NOT going to give you lame tips like “do the cobra stretch”.

Instead, you’re about to discover the one and only type of exercise that will actually speed up your child’s growth.

On top of that, you’re going to learn exercises that can help your child maintain the taller posture she gained in Chapter 6.

And to finish off the chapter: you’ll learn what your child needs to AVOID in order to maximize growth.

(Hint: It’s NOT squatting or lifting heavy weights)

Section #1

Exercises That Maximize Your Child’s HGH Levels

In part 1, we talked about how HGH is essential for making your child’s bones grow longer.

And luckily for your child, she can do exercises to increase her HGH for faster growth.

So what types of exercise can maximize your child’s HGH levels?

High-intensity exercises [1, 2].

Doing high-intensity exercises can also burn fat, which is important for increasing your child’s HGH levels even further [3].

And in this section, I’ll show you the most effective and fun exercises your child can do to maximize her HGH levels.

Is Your Child Ready to Do High-Intensity Workouts?

Before I explain what a high-intensity workouts look like, I need to make a few important points:

High-Intensity Workouts Are For Teenagers (13 Years or Older)

Studies have shown that high-intensity workouts only elevate HGH levels in teenagers going through puberty, but not younger children. [4]

But if your child is 12 years old or younger, no worries.

As long as your child stays active regularly, she’ll keep her HGH levels high for maximum growth.

(If your child is 12 years old or younger, click here to skip to the next section)

Make Sure Your Child is In a Healthy Condition

High-intensity workouts are exactly like what they sound:

They’re INTENSE AF!

So if you’re child is injured or isn’t in a healthy condition, it may not be safe for her to do them.

(Later in this chapter, I’ll show you the exact steps your child can take to minimize her risk of getting injured)

A Qualified Supervisor is MANDATORY

Your child should always be supervised when doing any form of exercises (high-intensity or not).

But since high-intensity workouts can be even more risky if not done correctly, it’s important to have a qualified supervisor watch over what she’s doing.

So make sure to hire a qualified supervisor who is an expert at their sport, and condition your child so that she is fully ready to take on whatever exercise she’s going to perform.

What Does a High-Intensity Workout Look Like?

With the safety steps out of the way, here is exactly how to perform a high-intensity workout [5, 6, 7]:

The 5 Pillars of a High-Intensity Workout

➊ Train on an empty stomach
➋ Exert 80% to 100% effort into each set
➌ Each set should last between 15 to 20 seconds
➍ Get 90 seconds of rest in-between sets, and
➎ Total session should last between 5 to 30 min

Now, here is the cool part about high-intensity workouts:

It can be done through literally ANY exercise, sport, or activity.

So get your child to brainstorm her favorite list of activities.

And afterwards, get her to take part in those activities in the form of a high-intensity workout (by following the model above).

But if she can’t think of any activity, no worries.

Here are some of the best activities that your child can do, using the high-intensity workout model [6, 8]:

Best High-Intensity Activities (for Maximum HGH Production)

100 m sprints

Stationary bikes (pedal as hard as possible)

Rapid squat jumps

Burpees

Pushups

Jumping ropes

Rope exercises

Remember: Doing ANY Exercise is Better Than Not Exercising at All

If your child isn’t motivated to follow this high-intensity workout model, or you don’t feel that it’s right for your child, no worries.

Remember at the end of the day, as long as your child is active regularly, her natural HGH levels will stay high, which will help her bones grow even more.

Exercising regularly will also help keep her weight down, while simultaneously strengthening her bones [3, 9].

With that, let’s move onto the next section:

Section #2

Exercises and Stretches For Maintaining Good Posture

In Chapter 6, you learned how fixing your child’s posture can:

Make her taller (instantly), and

Help her develop a strong and stable body structure.

And while Chapter 6 was all about fixing her posture, this section is all about maintaining her posture much more easily.

The 3 Deadly Posture Killers

Today, our sedentary lifestyle causes our posture to go out of alignment.

Specifically, we have the tendency to develop what I call the “3 Deadly Posture Killers”:

The nerd neck

Rounded shoulders, and

Anterior pelvic tilt

And in this section, I’m going to briefly explain what each of these posture looks like, how they develop, and what exercises your child can do to counteract them.

Posture Killer #1: Nerd Neck

You probably guessed what this one looks like from the name.

The nerd neck develops from looking at your screen for too long without taking breaks.

(That’s why so many people look like giraffes today)

Posture Killer #2: Rounded Shoulders

Just like the Nerd Neck, the Rounded Shoulders develop from sitting for too long.

As you see in the image, the Nerd Neck and Rounded Shoulders usually come together as a combo.

Posture Killer #3: Anterior Pelvic Tilt

Simply put: Anterior Pelvic Tilt is when your butt sticks out noticeably.

Just like the other two posture kills, this posture develops from too much sitting and lack of activity.

9 Posture Healers to the Rescue

The good thing about the 3 Posture Killers is that they’re all interconnected.

This means that if you correct just one of the Posture Killers, it will reduce (or entirely fix) the other 2 Posture Killers as well.

And luckily for you, I’ve gathered 9 of the best exercises your child can do to combat these Posture Killers.

I call these the 9 Posture Healers.

Posture Healer #1: Doorway Stretch

The Doorway Stretch will stretch out your child’s chest muscles, which get very tight from sitting for a long time.

This exercise is great, because all you literally need is a doorway.

Steps:

1. Find a doorway that both of your elbows can reach at once. If you can’t find a doorway, just find a wall corner, and do the following steps separately for your left and right side.

2. Stand in the doorway with one foot in front of the other.

3. Place both hands and elbows on the door frame, with your elbows at a 90° angle.

4. Bend your forward knee until you feel a nice stretch in your chest and shoulders.

5. Hold it for 30 to 60 seconds.

6. Repeat 3 to 5 times.

Video Demonstration:

Posture Healer #2: Wall Angels

Wall angels will correct your child’s posture from her neck, all the way down to her hips.

In other words, this exercises can combat ALL 3 Posture Killers at once!

Steps:

1. Get your child to stand in front of a wall, facing away from the wall, with her feet shoulder width apart.

2. Her glutes (butt), lower back, shoulders, and the back of her head should ALL be touching the wall, while the back of her feet is slightly away from the wall. Her lower back should be as close to the wall as possible.

3. Get her to bring her arms up at her sides, with her upper arm parallel to the floor, and her forearms bent at 90°. Her elbow should be touching the wall as well.

4. When she feels comfortable, she can slowly raise her arms as high as possible, and bring them back down.

5. Repeat this movement as many times as she comfortable. (Her glutes, shoulders, elbows, and head should all be against the wall during this movement).

Video Demonstration:

Posture Healer #3: Standing Rows

Standing Rows will bring her shoulders back, which will mainly help her counteract the rounded shoulders.

Steps:

1. Get a long elastic band, and wrap it around a doorknob, pole, or any other part of the house.

2. Get your child to grab each side of the elastic band. Her posture should be straight, with her chin tucked in.

3. Get your child to gently pull on each side of the elastic band with both hands, until her hands reach the sides of her tummy. When she pulls the band towards her body, she should feel a nice contraction in her back muscles.

4. Repeat this movement 15 times.

5. Repeat this exercise 3 times.

Video Demonstration:

Posture Healer #4: Shoulder Rotations

This Posture Healer is great for combatting Rounded Shoulders.

By doing this exercise, your child can rotate her shoulder outwards, which will help to bring her shoulders back even further.

Steps:

1. Get a long elastic band, and tie it around a doorknob, pole, or any other part of the house.

2. Place a pillow or a thin towel between your child’s arm and her body (right beneath her armpit).

3. With the hand of the same arm, get your child to grab the elastic band. At this point, her hand that’s grabbing the band should be pointing to the opposite side of her arm. Her posture should be straight, with her chin tucked in.

4. Your child can slowly pull the elastic band towards the side of her arm that’s pulling the band.

5. Get her to pull the band as much as her shoulder allows, and gently bring the elastic band back to its original position.

6. Repeat the movements in steps 4 and 5 about 15 times.

Video Demonstration:

Posture Healer #5: Thoracic Stretch

To perform this Posture Healer, you’re going to need a foam roller.

If you don’t have one, no worries.

Your child can just double down on the Doorway Stretch, since it basically does the same thing as this exercise:

Stretch out the chest muscles.

Steps:

1. Get your child to lay on the foam roller, with her upper back against it.

2. Get her to cross her arms, and lift her butt of the ground.

3. She can slowly roll the foam roller up and down her spine. She should feel a nice stretch in her front muscles at this point. Make sure that the foam roller does NOT go down to her lower back.

4. Do this for about 30 seconds, and repeat this set 3 or 4 times.

Video Demonstration:

Posture Healer #6: Hip Flexor Stretch

This Posture Healer is effective for combatting Anterior Pelvic Tilt.

Since one of the main causes of this posture is tight hip flexors, it’s important to stretch it out.

And this exercise helps you do just that.

Steps:

1. Get your child to stand in a lunge position, with her left knee on the ground, and her right feet in front of her.

2. Get her to raise her left arm towards the ceiling, while she places her right hand on her lower back.

3. Get her to lean her torso slightly towards the right, and rotate her torso counterclockwise to face her left side.

4. Hold this position for 15 seconds.

5. Repeat steps 1 to 4 for her opposite side.

6. Repeat this stretch 2 more times for both sides.

Video Demonstration:

Posture Healer #7: Glute Bridge

This Posture Healer will also combat the Anterior Pelvic Tilt.

But instead of stretching the hip flexor, this exercise will strengthen your child’s glutes.

And since the Anterior Pelvic Tilt happens when your glutes are weak, the Glute Bridge will compat this posture by strengthening your glutes.

Steps:

1. Get your child to lie down on a mat, with her back against the floor. Her lower back should be flat on the ground (not arched).

2. Next, she should bend her knees so that her feet is closer to her glutes.

3. When her back is flat on the ground, she can now lift off her butt by flexing her glute muscles. After her butt comes off the mat, she can then lift off her lower back (make sure that her back doesn’t come off before her butt does).

4. She can slowly bring her lower back down to the floor, and afterwards, place her glues back on the floor. Once again, her lower back needs to come to the floor first.

5. Repeat movements in steps 3 and 4 about 15 times.

6. Repeat this set 2 more times.

Video Demonstration:

Posture Healer #8: Plank

You’re probably familiar with this one.

And that’s because it’s a very good for your posture and overall health!

This Posture Healer strengthens your core muscles, which is important for combatting ALL 3 Posture Killers.

Steps:

1. Get a mat

2. Get your child to put her elbows and hands on the mat, with her hands right below her face

3. Next, she should place her feet down on the mat, so that her entire torso and legs form a straight line

4. Get her to hold the plank position as long as she can

Video Demonstration:

Posture Healer #9: Superman

This Posture Healer is also effective for combatting all 3 Posture Killers.

It does so by strengthening the core muscles of her back.

Steps:

1. Get your child to lie down on a mat, with her stomach facing down, and her arms extended above her head.

2. Next, she should take off her hands and feet at the same time, making the superman pose. She should feel a strong contraction in her glutes and lower back.

3. Get her to hold this position for about 2 seconds before bring her hands and feet back down.

4. Repeat the movements in steps 2 and 3 about 12 to 15 times.

5. Repeat this exercises 2 more times.

Now this is probably the hardest Posture Healer to perform.

If your child has a hard time doing it, she can start with easier versions of the Superman exercise.

The video down below will show you how she can do so.

Video Demonstration:

3 Bonus Resources for More Posture Healers

For more exercises to correct your child’s posture, here are some bonus resources you can check out:

6 Exercises to Counteract Slouching (by Brett from Art of Manliness):

Perfect Posture in 5 Steps (by Jeff Cavaliere from ATHLEAN-X):

13 Best Postural Exercises for Forward Head Posture (by Dr. Alan Mandell):

Remember: Balance is Key

For your child, these 9 Posture Healers will be very effective for restoring her normal posture.

However, make sure that your child doesn’t overdo any exercise.

While each exercise will help to combat the Posture Killers, doing them too much will also bring her spine out of proper alignment.

Also, it’s important to remember that your child needs to perform exercises that feel right for her, since she has a unique body structure and lifestyle to everyone else.

(For example, if she doesn’t suffer from the Anterior Pelvic Tilt, it may not be necessary for her to do the Glute Bridge)

So if you want to assess her posture with 100% accuracy, make sure to bring your child to a chiropractor who can prescribe the right exercises for her unique posture.

And remember:

NEVER force your child to exercise through pain.

Which brings me to the last section of this chapter:

Section #3

What Types of Activities Should Your Child Avoid?

Before you even ask, I’ll give you the answer right away:

Weight lifting will NOT stunt your child’s growth.

(More on this later)

If so, what can actually stunt or slow down growth?

There are only 3 enemies that can disrupt your child’s growth:

1. Lack of HGH in her body

2. Severe conditions or diseases

3. Injuries to her growth plates

In Part 1 of this guide, we discussed several ways to maintain high HGH levels.

And later in this guide, we’ll dive deep into severe conditions and diseases your child needs to watch out for.

So let’s tackle the 3rd item on the list:

Why Are Growth Plates Important? And How Can Your Child Protect Them?

Source: washington.edu

To simplify: Your growth plate is the part of your bone that lengthens itself [10].

It contain cells that use different nutrients to lengthen and thicken your bones.

That’s why it’s important that your child protects herself from growth plate injuries at all costs.

Now, the good news is that 80% of growth plate injuries don’t negatively affect bone growth, and can be cured without any surgery [11].

However, since the other 20% of growth plate injuries CAN disrupt bone growth, it’s worth learning how to prevent them [11].

Here is a 3-step guide on how to protect your child from growth plate injuries:

➊

Know The Main Causes of Growth Plate Injuries

Growth plate injuries can happen from any sport, exercise, or activity.

So rather than focusing on which activities are the riskiest, it’s much more important to know HOW these injuries actually happen.

Here are the common causes of growth plate injuries [12, 13, 14, 15, 16]:

Not warming up properly before the activity

Improper exercise form / technique

Lifting too much weight

Imbalances of growth and strength (from not training muscle groups evenly)

Too many repetitive movements without rest (in baseball, gymnastics, long-distance running)

Falling (from bicycles, skateboards, playground)

Collisions (in football, hockey, soccer)

Poor training equipment

Training under too much fatigue

Training for too long

Lack of recovery time (in between sets, training sessions, and games)

Now, before we get into how we can prevent growth plate injuries, there is one more thing to keep in mind:

Growth plate injuries occur more often during growth spurt.

When your child’s bones grow faster, they’re less dense, since their density can’t catch up to their rate of growth [11, 14].

So it’s important to take steps to prevent growth plate injuries ESPECIALLY when they’re going through a growth spurt.

➋

Take Steps to Prevent Growth Plate Injuries

Below are steps you can take to prevent growth plate injuries [12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18].

(Many of these steps are basically the opposite of what causes the injuries)

Most Important: Get proper supervision from a qualified adult trainer

Wear equipment and gears that fit properly (footwear, protective gears, etc)

Warm up joints and muscles before the activity (by stretching and moving the body in the required range of motion)

Get your child to focus on whatever she is doing

Prioritize skill development (over competition)

Train muscle groups evenly

Get enough rest in-between sets, training sessions, games, and competitions

Avoid burnouts

Don’t EVER force your child to get active when she doesn’t feel like it

Don’t EVER preach “no pain, no gain” (if your child feels pain, she should stop the activity altogether)

Now, it’s possible that your child may already be suffering from a growth plate injury.

Which brings us to the next part:

➌

Check If Your Child Is Injured

It is much easier to spot severe injuries (such as bone displacement or deformity) when they happen.

But minor injuries may be harder to detect.

Here are the most common symptoms of growth plate injuries [19]:

Tenderness near the area

Swelling and warm around the joint

Limited range of motion

Pain when lifting or applying pressure

As I mentioned before, up to 80% growth plate injuries don’t affect bone growth, and can be cured without any surgery [11].

But since the other 20% of injuries DO affect growth, it’s very crucial to diagnose and treat them as soon as they happen.

For more information on how you can do so reliably, I recommend you check out the following resources:

Healthline: Salter-Harris Fracture

Pubmed: Fracture, Salter-Harris

Height Maximizing Exercises: Key Takeaways

If your child is 12 years old or younger, being active will elevate her HGH levels for maximum growth
But if your child is 13 years or older, she can boost her HGH further by performing High-Intensity Workouts, which consist of:

➊ Training on an empty stomach

➋ Exerting 80% to 100% effort into each set

➌ Performing sets that last 15 to 20 second

➍ Getting 90 seconds of rest between sets

➎ Exercising for 5 to 30 minutes per workout

Your child can do exercises and stretches to maintain a taller posture that she achieved in Chapter 6

The 9 Posture Healers will help to balance the poor posture that’s easy to develop from sitting and slouching all day

Growth plate injuries can disrupt your child’s growth, so make sure she prevents them by:

Learning the proper techniques for her sport or activity

Resting when her body is under fatigue

Having an adult supervise her whenever doing anything active

Taking all other necessary precaution steps

Minor growth plate injuries can be treated without surgery, but severe injuries will require surgery to be fully recovered

Chapter 8: Top 5 Height Myths (and The Truth Behind Each)

Chapter 8

Top 5 Height Myths (and The Truth Behind Each)

myths and truths

If you read part 1 of this guide, you already know habits that your child needs to avoid, such as:

Not consuming enough height growth nutrients, or

Not getting enough deep sleep

So rather than rehashing the obvious, I’m going to focus on height killing habits that are easier to overlook.

But instead of just telling you what your child needs to avoid…

…I’m going to bust 5 common myths about what stunts your growth.

And afterwards, I’m going to reveal the REAL truth behind these myths, and what your child ACTUALLY needs to watch out for.

Growth Stunt Myth #1: Caffeine Can Stunt Your Growth

This is flat-out false.

BUT you’re still going to want your child to stay away from all forms of caffeine, including:

Soda

Tea, or

Coffee

Remember in Chapter 5, I said that your child needs to get enough sleep to maximize her HGH levels, which is important for growing taller.

And as you already know, caffeine does the OPPOSITE:

Caffeine disrupts your child’s sleep.

So then, can your child drink soda first thing in the morning?

I don’t recommend it.

Studies have shown that caffeine can affect your child’s sleep, EVEN IF she consumes it first thing in the morning [20].

So to summarize: more caffeine → less sleep → less HGH → less bone growth

But once again, there’s no way that caffeine will fully stunt your child’s growth.

Truth: Drinks with caffeine can disrupt your child’s sleep. Less sleep leads to less HGH production, which can decrease bone growth (but not stunt it completely).

Growth Stunt Myth #2: Junk Foods Can Stunt Your Growth

You probably already know that this is another myth.

(Next time you see a tall person, ask if they ever snacked on junk food as a kid, and they’ll say yes)

But here’s the catch:

Junk foods contain LOTS of sugar.

And as I explained in Chapter 4, sugar increases insulin in your child’s body, which can decrease her HGH levels [21].

So in summary: more sugar → less HGH → less bone growth

Truth: Consuming too much sugar increases insulin, which decreases HGH, which can decrease bone growth (but not stunt it).

Growth Stunt Myth #3: Alcohol Can Stunt Your Growth

We all know how harmful alcohol is to our health. (I don’t even need to cite this one)

But can it stunt your child’s growth?

You probably already know the answer:

Nope.

But like sodas and junk food, alcohol is ALSO something your child will want to limit.

Studies have shown that alcohol decreases the amount of HGH your body produces during sleep [22].

So: more alcohol → less HGH → less bone growth

But just like caffeine and sugar, alcohol can’t fully stunt your child’s growth.

Truth: Alcohol can decrease HGH production during sleep, which can lead to less bone growth (but not stunt it).

Growth Stunt Myth #4: Marijuana Can Stunt Your Growth

Yup, you guessed it again.

Marijuana won’t stunt your child’s growth.

BUT… just like caffeine, sugar, and alcohol, she should stay away from it if she’s still growing.

Because THC (which is one of the main compounds in marijuana) can decrease your child’s HGH levels [23, 24].

So bottom line: more marijuana → less HGH → less bone growth

Truth: Marijuana decreases HGH production, which can decrease bone growth (but not stunt it).

Growth Stunt Myth #5: Weight Lifting Can Stunt Your Growth

There is one commonality between the 4 myths that we covered so far:

Caffeine, sugar, alcohol, and weed can ALL negatively impact your child’s growth (but won’t completely stunt it).

So what makes weight-lifting different from these 4 things?

Weight-lifting has NO negative impact on your child’s growth [12, 25, 26, 27].

In fact, weight-lifting can actually make your child’s bones stronger, by increasing their density [28].

So then, what’s the REAL risk behind weight lifting?

If your child gets injured from lifting weights, she can injure her growth plates, which can disrupt her growth.

But here’s the reality:

Your child can injure her growth plates from doing ANY sport, exercise, or recreational activity known to man.

So if you want your child to avoid injuring her growth plates, she must train under 3 circumstances:

1. She knows proper lifting techniques

2. She lifts weights that she feels comfortable with, and

3. She is supervised by a qualified professional

(To review how to protect your child from growth plate injuries, click here)

Truth: Weight-lifting does NOT stunt growth, but a severe growth plate injury can disrupt or stunt your child’s growth.

Remember: Allow Your Child to Be Human

It may be tempting to restrict her from all of these habits completely.

But remember: your child is human like you and me.

So in reality, it’s unlikely that she is going to follow these tips 100%.

However, as a wise man has once said: You are your habits.

So as long as she doesn’t drink coffee every day, or snack on junk food every night, she’ll be fine.

Just show her this guide, and she’ll learn to do what’s best for her over time.

(Stay tuned, because the last Chapter is ALL about how to motivate your child to take the right actions)

Top 5 Height Myths vs Truths: Key Takeaways

There are many habits that can decrease HGH, which can slow down bone growth (but NOT fully stunt it), such as:

Drinking caffeinated beverages (such as soda, tea, or coffee)

Eating too much sugar

Drinking alcohol excessively

Using marijuana

But doing these habits once in a while won’t affect your child’s growth, so let her be human

On the flipside, weight-lifting won’t even slow down your child’s growth (let alone stunt it)

However, if your child lifts weights (or does ANY activity) dangerously, she can injure her growth plates, which can disrupt (or actually stunt her growth)

So make sure to take care of your child’s safety by taking the right precaution steps, and having a qualified adult supervise her when doing anything physical (review Chapter 7 for more info)

Chapter 9: Conditions That Can Hinder Your Child’s Growth

Chapter 9

Conditions That Can Hinder Your Child’s Growth

conditions

Last chapter was all about avoiding simple habits that can interfere with your child’s growth.

But this chapter is a bit different:

We’re going to cover conditions that can hinder your child’s growth.

While some of these conditions can’t be prevented or completely cured, your child can still improve his height by receiving the proper treatment at the right time.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at what conditions you want to watch out for.

How to Screen Your Child for Height Stunting Conditions

In this chapter, I’m going to cover a TON of different conditions that can negatively impact your child’s height.

But remember: You don’t have to memorize ANY of these conditions!
Instead, here are practical steps you can take to protect your child from these conditions:

Checklist: Ways to Protect Your Child from Height Hindering Conditions

Measure your child’s height at least once every 3 months to make sure that he’s growing at a normal pace (refer to Chapter 2 for more details)
Check your child’s health at the doctors regularly (at least once every 6 months to a year)
If you notice any weird physical, mental, or emotional patterns from your child, go to a doctor immediately
To check that his hormones (especially HGH levels) are within their normal ranges, you can consult a pediatrician as well
If your child follows the key tips from previous chapters, he can avoid many of the conditions we’re about to discuss

With that, let’s dive right into these conditions.

6 Types of Conditions That Can Hinder Your Child’s Growth

In this chapter, we’re going to focus on conditions that can do one (or a combination) of these 6 things:

➊ Lower HGH levels

➋ Hinder bones from absorbing proper nutrients

➌ Damage growth plates

➍ Weaken bones (which can cause height loss as an adult)

➎ Cause bone misalignment

➏ Genetic conditions that hinder growth

Part 1

Conditions That Can Lower HGH Levels

I probably don’t need to repeat how important HGH is for your child’s growth.

Here are 3 conditions that can decrease HGH in your child’s body:

1. GHD (Growth Hormone Deficiency)

2. Hypothyroidism, and

3. Cushing’s Syndrome

I call these the HGH Robbers.

HGH Robber #1: GHD (Growth Hormone Deficiency)

Source: hormone.org via build-muscle-101.com

As you can probably guess, Growth Hormone Deficiency simply means your child has low levels of HGH in his body.

But before we talk about how this condition is caused, let’s rewind a bit.

HGH is produced in your pituitary gland inside your brain.

And your pituitary gland is controlled by another region called the hypothalamus [29].

Source: anatomy-medicine.com

So if your child damages his pituitary gland or hypothalamus, your child will produce less HGH in his body, which will disrupt his growth.

(In other words, damaging his pituitary gland OR hypothalamus can cause GHD)

GHD – Overview

Here are the key points for GHD [30, 31, 32]:

Signs of GHD

Grows slower than usual (refer to Chapter 2 to make sure your child is growing at a healthy pace)
Looks younger than his peers
A chubby body build
Slow hair growth or tooth development

Causes of GHD

A severe head injury
Tumor in pituitary gland or hypothalamus
Brain surgery
Radiation therapy for cancers
Diseases (such as histiocytosis)
An autoimmune condition (such as lymphocytic hypophysitis)

Ways to Check for GHD

Various blood tests (hormone, Protein, GH stimulation, insulin tolerance, and more)
Various x-ray tests
MRI scans

Ways to Treat GHD

Growth hormone therapy

Ways to Prevent GHD

Make your child wear a helmet and other protective gears when doing any activity that can cause concussions
To prevent minor decreases in growth hormone:
- Feed your child with nutrients that increase growth hormones (refer to Chapter 4)
- Make sure your child gets enough deep sleep (refer to Chapter 5)
In many cases, GHD are not completely preventable [32]

To learn about how your child can combat GHD, check out this article written by Dr. Daniel J. Toft:

Growth Hormone Deficiency Basics (by Daniel J. Toft MD, PhD)

HGH Robber #2: Hypothyroidism

In your throat, there is a region called the thyroid gland.

And as you can guess, it produces thyroid hormones (duh…)

But what’s so important about these hormones?

Because not only do thyroids regulate HGH levels in your child’s body, but they also affect his bone growth directly [33, 34].

So if your child isn’t producing enough thyroids, he will not reach his full potential height.

(This condition is known as Hypothyroidism)

Hypothyroidism – Overview

Here are the key points for Hypothyroidism [35]:

Signs of Hypothyroidism

Symptoms vary for each person, but here are the common ones:

Fatigue
Weight gain
Feeling cold
Dry skin
Thinning hair
Constipation
Muscle weakness
Pain and stiffness in the joints
Muscle aches, tenderness, stiffness
Depression
Impaired memory

Causes of Hypothyroidism

Autoimmune disease (most common one is the Hashimoto’s disease)
Treatment for hyperthyroidism
Surgical removal of thyroid
Radiation therapy
Certain medications

Ways to Check for Hypothyroidism

Check medical history
Physical exam
Blood test (check for TSH and thyroxine levels)

Medications to Alleviate Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism can’t be fully treated, only coped with:

Levothyroxine (synthetic T4 hormone)
Animal extracts containing Thyroid
Glandular extracts

To learn more about Hypothyroidism, check out the full guide (on Healthline):

Everything You Need to Know About Hypothyroidism

HGH Robber #3: Cushing Syndrome

Cushing Syndrome is a disease that occurs from having too much cortisol in your body.

Now, maintaining healthy levels of cortisol in your child’s body is actually important for his growth [36].

BUT, producing too much cortisol can actually hinder his growth [37, 38].

In most cases, your child can prevent Cushing syndrome by keeping his cortisol levels in healthy ranges.

Cushing Syndrome – Overview

Here are the key points for Cushing Syndrome [37]:

Signs of Cushing Syndrome

Weight gain and obesity
Slower rate of growth (check Chapter 2 to see if your child is growing at a healthy pace)
Skin injuries heal slowly
Muscle weakness
Fatigue
Acne
High blood pressure
Depression

Causes of Cushing Syndrome

Overuse of corticosteroid medications
Poor or malnutrition
High stress levels (from illnesses, injuries, or surgeries)
Depression or anxiety
Tumors (in his pituitary gland, adrenal gland, thyroid gland, thymus gland, lung, or pancreas)

Ways to Check for Cushing Syndrome

A 24-hour urinary free cortisol test
Midnight plasma cortisol and late-night salivary cortisol measurements
A low-dose dexamethasone suppression test

Ways to Treat Cushing Syndrome

Medications (to decrease cortisol or ACTH production)
Using less corticosteroids (if your child is using one)
Surgical removal (if necessary)
Radiation therapy
Chemotherapy

To learn more about Cushing Syndrome, check out the full guide (on Healthline.com):

Cushing Syndrome: Causes and Symptoms

Part 2

Conditions That Steal Height Growth Nutrients

In Chapter 4, we talked about the 5 nutrients your child needs to consume to reach his full potential height.

But here’s where it can get tricky:

Even if your child eats EVERYTHING he needs to eat to fuel his bones for maximum growth, his bones may still not grow to their fullest length.

Why?

Because he may suffer from diseases that stop his bones from absorbing those nutrients properly.

So in this section, I’m going to show you a few “nutrient-robbers” you need to watch out for your child.

(These nutrient-robbers can also disrupt HGH levels in your child’s body, which can further hinder his growth)

Here is an overview of these nutrient-robbers:

1. Inflammatory Bowel Disease

2. Celiac Disease

3. Congenital Heart Disease

4. Anemia, and

5. Chronic Kidney Disease

Let’s take a peak at each.

Nutrient Robber #1: Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Your intestines are important, since they absorb nutrients that your body needs.

So if your child’s intestines become inflamed, his bones will receive less nutrients, which will lead to less bone growth [39].

People refer to this disorder as an Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

And if your child develops this disease, he can also suffer from HGH Resistance [40], which means his body won’t be able to make use of HGH properly, even if there is enough HGH floating around.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease – Overview

Here are the key points for Inflammatory Bowel Disease [41, 42]:

Signs of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Diarrhea
Fever and fatigue
Abdominal pain / cramping
Blood in your child’s stool
Reduced appetite
Weight loss

Causes of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Exact causes are still unknown, but here are 2 possible causes:

Immune system not functioning properly
History of family members with this disease (but this isn’t common in IBD patients)

How to Check for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Tests for anemia or infection
Stool sample test
Colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, endoscopy, or enteroscopy
Imaging tests (x-ray, CT scan, MRI scan)

How to Treat Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Anti-inflammatory drugs
Immune system suppressors
Antibiotics
Nutritional support (with lots of Calcium, Vitamin D, Iron)
Surgery

To learn more about Inflammatory Bowel Disease, check out the full guide (at Mayo Clinic):

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Nutrient Robber #2: Celiac Disease

If your child reacts badly to gluten, he likely suffers from Celiac Disease.

If your child has Celiac Disease, and he consumes gluten, he can damage his intestines, which can hinder his bones from receiving all the nutrients it needs for proper growth [43].

But if he starts eating a gluten-free diet, he can go back to growing normally [44].

(That’s why it’s important to catch this disease early, before he becomes an adult)

Celiac Disease – Overview

Here are the key points for Celiac Disease [45, 46]:

Signs of Celiac Disease

These are symptoms that are common in children:

Vomiting
Diarrhea or constipation
Poor appetite
Weight loss
Bloated belly
Shorter height / delayed puberty

Causes of Celiac Disease

Exact causes are still unknown, but here are a few possible causes:

Poor infant feeding practices
Gastrointestinal infections
Problems in your child’s gut bacteria
Viral infection
Emotional stress

How to Check for Celiac Disease

Blood tests (to check for antibodies or leukocyte antigens)
Endoscopy
Taking a small tissue sample of the small intestine

How to Treat Celiac Disease

Removing gluten from your child’s diet will generally heal his intestines over time

How to Prevent Celiac Disease

Eat a gluten-free diet!

To learn how your child can eat a gluten-free diet, check out a full guide on gluten-free diets (written by Ryan Raman from Healthline):

The Gluten-Free Diet: A Beginner’s Guide With Meal Plan

To learn more about Celiac Disease, check out the full guide (on Mayo Clinic):

Celiac Disease

Nutrient Robber #3: Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital Heart Disease describes a heart abnormality that can be seen at your child’s birth [47].

Not only can this condition prevent your child from absorbing nutrients properly, but they will need more nutrients to stay healthy, since their body uses up more energy [48].

As a result, this condition can interfere with your child’s growth, since his bones will not receive enough nutrients that are required for optimal growth.

But fortunately, Growth Hormone treatment can restore proper growth for children with this Congenital Heart Disease [49].

Congenital Heart Disease – Overview

Here are the key points for Congenital Heart Disease [50]:

Signs of Congenital Heart Disease

At Birth:

Blushed lips, skin, fingers, toes
Trouble breathing
Difficulties feeding your child
Low birth weight
Chest pain
Delayed growth

After Birth:

Trouble breathing
Fatigue
Dizziness
Swelling
Fainting
Abnormal heart rhythms

Causes of Congenital Heart Disease

May run in families
Consuming, alcohol, illegal drugs, or certain prescription drugs during pregnancy of your child
Viral infection during pregnancy
Increased blood sugar levels

How to Treat Congenital Heart Disease

Medications
Implantable heart devices
Catheter procedures
Open-heart surgery
Heart transplant

How to Prevent Congenital Heart Disease

All of these steps are taken before or during pregnancy:

Take control of your blood sugar levels before becoming pregnant
Get properly vaccinated against certain diseases (like rubella or German measles)
Talk to your doctor about the safety of any medications you plan to take
Don’t drink alcohol or use illegal drugs during pregnancy
Receive genetic screening (for genes that may contribute to abnormal heart development)

To learn more about Congenital Heart Disease, check out the full guide (on Healthline):

Congenital Heart Disease

Nutrient Robber #4: Anemia

Anemia happens when your child doesn’t have enough red blood cells in his blood.

Since red blood cells deliver Oxygen to every cell in your body, less red blood cells means less Oxygen for every cell.

And if your child’s bones don’t receive proper amounts of oxygen, it can hinder his bones from developing properly, which is why Anemia can disrupt his growth [51].

Anemia is mainly caused by iron deficiencies, but there are some genetic conditions that can cause this as well [52].

If your child treat Anemia early enough, he can restore normal growth patterns [51].

Anemia – Overview

Here are the key points for Anemia [52, 53, 54]:

Signs of Anemia

These vary for each person:

Fatigue
Weakness
Dizziness
Headache
Cold hands and feet
Pale or yellow skin
Chest pain
Shortness of breath
Irregular heartbeats

Causes of Anemia

Causes depend on the type of Anemia:

Not eating enough Iron, Folate, Vitamin B12
Hypothyroidism
Excess blood loss
Lack of erythropoietin (hormone produced by the kidneys)
Diseases (cancer, HIV/AIDS, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic inflammations, autoimmune diseases)
Infections
Certain medicines
Exposure to toxic chemicals
Genetically caused types of Anemia (such as Fanconi Anemia or Thalassemia)

How to Check for Anemia

Blood test (for Iron, Vitamin B12, Folate)
Blood test (to check shape, size, and number of red blood cells)
Stool test
Scans (x-rays, CT scan)
Barium enema

How to Treat Anemia

Proper treatment will vary for each type of Anemia:

Proper supplementation of Iron, Vitamin B12, and Folate
Surgery (to stop bleeding)
Blood transfusion
Medication
Chemotherapy
Bone marrow transplantation

How to Prevent Anemia

Get your child to consume enough Iron, Vitamin B12, and Folate
Not all types of Anemia can be prevented (since some are genetically caused)

To learn more about Anemia, check out these 2 guides:

Healthline: What Causes Anemia?

Mayo Clinic: Anemia

Nutrient Robber #5: Chronic Kidney Disease

Kidneys play an important role in regulating nutrients that are important for bone growth (like Calcium) [55].

That’s why kidney failures can prevent these essential nutrients from reaching your child’s bones, which can cause his bones to grow less, and also become weaker [56].

Chronic Kidney Disease also reduces your child’s HGH levels drastically, which can further disrupt your child’s growth [57].

The good news?

As long as it’s detected early on, your child can restore his normal growth patterns, and reach his full potential height as an adult [58].

Chronic Kidney Disease – Overview

Here are the key points for Chronic Kidney Disease [59, 60]:

Signs of Chronic Kidney Disease

Changes in how often your child pees
Nausea
Vomiting
Itching
Loss of appetite
Fatigue and weakness
Sleep problems
Muscle twitches and cramps
Swelling of his feet and ankles

Causes of Chronic Kidney Disease

Diabetes
High blood pressure
Kidney inflammation, diseases, or infections

Ways to Check for Chronic Kidney Disease

Blood tests (to check for creatinine and urea)
Urine tests
Imaging tests
Removing a sample of your child’s kidney tissue for testing

Ways to Treat Chronic Kidney Disease

Treatment options will vary for each person

Ways to Cope with Chronic Kidney Disease

Eating lower Protein diet
Your child can take medications that can treat complications such as:
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol levels
- Anemia
- Swelling
- Bone weaknesses

Ways to Prevent Chronic Kidney Disease

Get your child to maintain a healthy weight
Screen your child for diseases or medical conditions
Avoid smoking
Follow instructions for over-the-counter medications precisely

To learn more about Chronic Kidney Diseases, check out the full guide (at Mayo Clinic):

Chronic Kidney Disease

Part 3

The Condition That Can Damage Growth Plates

In Chapter 7, we went over ways to prevent your child from injuring his growth plates.

But when it comes to conditions, there is only one condition that can directly damage your child’s growth plates:

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (referred to as JIA)

Arthritis refers to inflamed joints.

And JIA is the most common type of arthritis among children who are 16 or younger [61].

JIA can cause joint pain, swelling, fever, and many other problems for your child.

But most importantly: It can cause growth problems [62, 63].

When a joint is affected by JIA, it can either:

Slow down the growth of affected bones, or

Speed up the growth, causing limbs to become uneven.

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis – Overview

Here are the key points for JIA [61, 64, 65, 66, 67]:

Signs of JIA

Joint pains
Joint swelling
Joint stiffness
Limping
Lack of physical activity
Fever, swollen lymph nodes, or rashes

Causes of JIA

Unknown (the term “idiopathic” means “of unknown origin”)

Ways to Check for JIA

Medical history (to rule out other causes like trauma or infection)
Physical examination of joints (for swelling and redness)
Various blood tests
Imaging tests (x-rays, ultrasound, MRI, or CT scans)

Medications that Can Treat JIA

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Disease-modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs)
Biologic response modifiers
Corticosteroids

To learn more about JIA, check out this full guide found on Arthritis Foundation:

What is Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis?

Part 4

The Condition That Can Weaken Bones

If you want your child to be strong and healthy as an adult, his bones must be dense and well nourished.

And although his bone strength doesn’t directly make him taller, having strong bones can prevent him from losing height as he ages.

Here is the most common bone condition that can weaken your child’s bones (you might’ve heard of this already):

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis describes bones that are less dense than what’s considered to be healthy.

So if your child suffers from osteoporosis, his bones would be much more fragile, which makes him weaker and much more likely to get injured.

The good news is that this condition won’t actually make him grow less, but osteoporosis can shorten your child’s height later as an adult [68, 69].

But whether or not this condition affects your child’s height in the future, it can cause health problems for your child, so it’s important to know how your child can prevent it at all costs.

Osteoporosis – Overview

Here are the key points for Osteoporosis [70, 71]:

Signs of Osteoporosis

Unfortunately, there are none (hence why it’s called a “silence disease”)
Osteoporosis is usually discovered after a bone injury occurs
That’s why it’s important to screen for it (before an injury happens), and take steps to minimize chances of developing it

Causes of Osteoporosis

GH deficiencies
Not consuming enough Calcium and Vitamin D
Not eating enough in general
Inactive lifestyle
Drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes
Use of certain drugs or medications (such as glucocorticoids or anticonvulsants)
Low levels of testosterone or estrogen
Family history of reduced bone mass and fractures

How to Check for Osteoporosis

Bone Mineral Density Test (on your child’s hips or spine)
Screen Tests (x-rays, central DXA test)

How to Treat Osteoporosis

These are the same steps you can take to prevent Osteoporosis:

Prevent GH deficiencies (refer to Chapter 3 of this guide)
Get your child to consume enough nutrients covered in Chapter 4, ESPECIALLY Calcium and Vitamin D
Encourage your child to exercise regularly
Make sure your child avoids smoking or drinking too much alcohol
Beware of medications that can cause Osteoporosis

For more information about Osteoporosis, check out the following resources:

National Institutes of Health: Osteoporosis Overview

National Osteoporosis Foundation: What is Osteoporosis and What Causes It?

Conditions That Are Similar to Osteoporosis

Here are 2 bone disorders that are very similar to Osteoporosis [72]:

1. Osteopenia – “Milder” version of Osteoporosis

2. Osteomalacia – Mainly caused by a lack of Vitamin D

Now, Osteoporosis is the most common bone disease your child needs to watch out for.

(About 54 million Americans suffer from Osteoporosis!) [73]

But there are many other bone diseases that are much more rare, but you still may want keep your head up on them.

To learn more about these conditions, check out the the full list (on National Institutes of Health):

Muscle and Bone Diseases

Part 5

Conditions That Can Misalign Bones

In Chapter 6, we talked about how keeping a proper posture can make your child become taller, and help his bones grow in the proper direction.

You probably also remember the analogy I gave of the two jenga towers:

Proper Alignment = Good Posture

Poor Alignment = Bad Posture

So if you want your child to not only become taller, but stand up strong, his bones need to be aligned properly.

Now, there are a few conditions that can cause his bones to grow in weird directions.

I call these the bone twisters.

Bone Twister #1: Spine Curvature Disorders

If you can recall, a healthy spine naturally has curves:

Source: sequencewiz.org | Author: Olga Kabel

But if these curves become too extreme, your child can develop a spine curvature disorder.

There are 3 ways that your child’s spine can become abnormally curved.

(From left to right, these abnormal curvatures are called: Kyphosis, Lordosis, and Scoliosis)

Source: body-disease.com

Now, it’s common for many children to develop minor forms of these abnormal curves.

If that happens to your child, you don’t have to worry about it affecting his height [74].

But if the curve becomes too extreme, that’s when it can actually make your child shorter [74].

Spine Curvature Disorders – Overview

Here are the key points for Spine Curvature Disorders [75, 76, 77]:

Signs of Spine Curvature Disorders

Kyphosis: Rounded back
Lordosis: Butt sticks out
Scoliosis: Uneven shoulders, or leaning towards one side
Back pain or stiff back
Problems moving in certain ways

Causes of Spine Curvature Disorders

Slouching or having a poor posture
Being extremely overweight or obese
Osteoporosis and other bone diseases
Spine injuries, infections, or tumors
Birth defects that affect spine development
Neuromuscular conditions (cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy)
Leg length discrepancies
Genetic conditions

How to Check for Spine Curvature Disorders

Physical examinations of the spine, ribs, hips, and shoulders
Use tools (such as inclinometer or scoliometer) to measure the spine curves
Image tests (x-rays, CT scans, or MRIs) to assess the shape, direction, location, and angle of the curve

How to Treat Spine Curvature Disorders

For minor curves:
- Maintain good posture (refer to Chapter 6)
- Do exercises to correct posture (refer to Chapter 7)
- Wear a brace or a cast (to keep it from getting worse)

For major curves, get surgery:
- Spinal instrumentation (attaching rods, hooks, and wires to the spine to realign the spinal bones)
- Artificial disc replacement (to replace damaged discs)
- Kyphoplasty (attaching a balloon inside the spine)

How to Prevent Spine Curvature Disorders

Spine Curvature Disorders can’t always be prevented, but here are ways to minimize risks:

Feed your child nutrients (covered in Chapter 4) to minimize chances of Osteoporosis or other bone diseases
Get your child to maintain good posture (refer to Chapters 6)
Take proper precaution steps for your child (covered in Chapter 7) to avoid spine injuries

For more information on spine curvature disorders, check out the following guides:

WebMD: Types of Spine Curvature Disorders

Medical News Today: Everything You Need to Know About Scoliosis

For a comprehensive list of exercises to manage your child’s scoliosis, check out this guide:

Hudson Valley Scoliosis: Scoliosis Exercises

Abnormal Looking Legs

The next 2 conditions have to do with your child’s legs.

Here’s a preview of what they look like:

Source: orthobridgeorthopedics.com

Let’s take a look at each condition:

Bone Twister #2: Bowlegs (Knees Pointing Outward)

Bowlegs (A.K.A. genu varum) is a condition where your child’s knees are pointing outwards.

This condition is common at a very early age, since your infant is in a cramped position in the womb

And the good news is that it typically goes away by the age of 2.

But if it doesn’t, you should see a doctor.

Bowlegs – Overview

Here are the key points for Bowlegs [78]:

Signs of Bowlegs

When your child keeps his feet together, his knees will not touch

Causes of Bowlegs

Not consuming enough Vitamin D
Abnormally developed bones (bone dysplasia, blount’s disease)
Lead or fluoride poisoning
Genetical conditions (dwarfism, paget’s disease)

How to Check for Bowlegs

Physical examination (your doctor can measure your child’s legs, and observe how he walks)
Imaging tests (x-rays)

How to Treat Bowlegs

(Not recommended for infants below 2 years old)

Get your child to wear casts, braces, and/or special shoes
Treating the underlying causes of the Bowlegs
If Bowlegs are extreme, surgery may be needed

How to Prevent Bowlegs

Not all Bowlegs can be prevented, but here are ways to minimize their risk:

Feed your child enough Vitamin D (and the other nutrients in Chapter 4)
Prevent bone fractures in his legs by getting him to exercise with caution

To learn more about Bowlegs, check out the full guide (on Healthline.com):

What Causes Bow Legged?

Bone Twister #3: Knock Knees (Knees Pointing Inward)

Knock Knees (A.K.A. genu valgum) is the opposite of Bowlegs:

It describes legs with knees pointing inward.

But just like Bowlegs, your child will likely grow out of Knock Knees if he has them.

(20% of 3-year-olds have knock knees, but that number decreases to 1% for 7-year-olds) [79]

Knock Knees – Overview

Here are the key points for Knock Knees [79]:

Signs of Knock Knees

When your child’s knees touch when his ankles are separated
Pain in ankles, knees, or hips
Stiff joints
Lack of balance when standing
Walking awkwardly

Causes of Knock Knees

These are similar to causes of Bowlegs:

Lack of Vitamin D or Calcium
Being obese
Arthritis in the knees
Leg or knee injuries
Bone disorders
Genetic conditions

How to Check for Knock Knees

Medical history of the child and family
Physical examination (of knee alignment when standing, how your child walks, and if the legs are different in lengths)
Imaging tests (x-rays or MRI scans)

How to Treat Knock Knees

The correct treatment method will depend on the cause and severity of the Knocked Knees:

Corrective exercises and stretches
Medication and supplements
Wearing corrective orthotics
In extreme cases, surgery may be required

How to Prevent Knock Knees

Knock Knees can’t always be prevented, but here are ways to minimize risks:

Feed your child enough Vitamin D and Calcium (and the other nutrients in Chapter 4)
Prevent injuries to his knees and legs by getting him to exercise with caution
Get your child to exercises regularly, and stay fit

To learn more about Knock Knees, check out the full guide (on Medical News Today):

What Causes Knock Knees?

Part 6

Genetic Conditions That Can Hinder Growth

Until now, we looked at conditions that be caused by both genetic or environmental factors.

But in this section, we’re going to look at conditions that can only be caused by genetics.

Many of these conditions can actually cause the conditions that we looked at so far.

So without further ado, let’s go through the last section of this chapter.

Genetic Condition #1: Down Syndrome

If your child has Down Syndrome, he will grow less than the average child [80].

But thankfully, there are growth charts that are made exclusively for children with Down Syndrome.

If your child has down syndrome AND is 0 to 36 months old, here are the growth charts you want to use:

Boys Growth Chart (Ages 0 to 36 Months)

Girls Growth Chart (Ages 0 to 36 Months)

And if your child has down syndrome AND is 2 to 20 years old, you’ll want to use these:

Boys Growth Chart (Ages 2 to 20 Years)

Girls Growth Chart (Ages 2 to 20 Years)

If you want to see other Growth Charts (for weight and head circumference), check out the full list of charts here:

CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention): Growth Charts for Children with Down Syndrome

If you want to learn more about Down Syndrome, check out the full guide here:

WebMD: What is Down Syndrome?

Genetic Condition #2: Noonan Syndrome

Source: aafp.org | Authors: Vikas Bhambhani, MD; Maximilian Muenke, MD

Noonan Syndrome is a genetic condition that results in 3 common characteristics [81]:

1. Short height

2. Unusual facial features, or

3. Congenital heart disease (at birth)

It’s also common to see low levels of HGH, and delayed growth in children with Noonan Syndrome [82].

If your child has Noonan Syndrome, HGH therapy can help to improve his height, but the doctor must continually monitor his heart function after the therapy [83].

To learn more about Noonan Syndrome, check out the the full guide here:

Mayo Clinic: Noonan Syndrome

Genetic Condition #3: Turner Syndrome

Source: drsmitakoppikar.com | Author: Dr. Smita Koppikar (@drsmitakoppikar)

Turner Syndrome can only happen to girls, and it affects 1 out of every 2,000 baby girls [84].

Almost all girls with Turner Syndrome show 2 symptoms:

1. Shorter height, and

2. Lack of monthly periods, resulting in infertility

Since their short height starts getting noticeable when they’re 5 years old, it’s easy to detect this condition early on [85].

And just like Noonan Syndrome, girls with Turner Syndrome can safely go through HGH therapy to reach a normal adult height [86].

Along with HGH, other hormone therapies can help them develop sexually, and reach puberty faster [87].

To learn more about Turner Syndrome, check out the full guide here:

Healthline: Turner Syndrome

Other Genetic Conditions That Hinder Growth

There are a few other genetic conditions that can interfere with growth.

Here are 3 of them + resources for more info:

Medical News Today: Prader-Willi Syndrome (affects 1 of 10,000~30,000 births)

NORD: Aarskog Syndrome (affects 1 of 25,000 births)

Healthline: Achondroplasia (affects in 1 of 25,000 births)

Height Hindering Conditions: Key Takeaways

To make sure that your child is free from these conditions, make sure to:

Measure your child’s height at least once every 3 months to make sure he’s growing at a normal pace (refer to Chapter 2 for more details)

Visit your doctor or pediatrician regularly (especially when you notice any weird symptoms)

By following the key tips from previous chapters, your child can minimize his chances of developing many of these conditions

However, since some conditions are caused genetically or incidentally, they can’t be avoided (but can only be coped with)

For many of these conditions, HGH treatments can help your child reach a normal height as an adult (but he must receive treatment before he becomes too old

Chapter 10: Preventing Your Child from Becoming a Giant

Chapter 10

Preventing Your Child from Becoming a Giant

many different sports cartoon

This chapter is basically the opposite of the last chapter.

We’re going to look at the condition that can make your child become gigantic, and ways to reduce her height if she suffers from it.

Since we’re going to focus on just one condition, this chapter is going to be much shorter than the last chapter (ironic isn’t it?)

If you’re not worried about your child becoming a giant, click here to skip to the next chapter.

Gigantism: The Condition That Can Make Your Child Too Tall

As you can tell by the name, Gigantism is a condition that makes your child grow abnormally tall.

Gigantism occurs when your child’s pituitary produces too much HGH, causing her bones to grow longer and thicker than the average child.

This excess HGH can cause many other health problems as well (which we’ll discuss in this section).

Fortunately, there are a few ways to slow down your child’s growth if she has this condition, but you must catch this condition early in her life.

In this section, we’ll go over how you can spot this condition, and several ways to treat it.

What Causes Gigantism?

Source: researchgate.net | Authors: Daphne T Adelman; Lisa Nachtigall; Bert Bakker; Karen Jp Liebert; Michele Lamerson

When pituitary gland develops a tumor, it produces too much HGH, which causes Gigantism.

This is the root cause of Gigantism for most children.

In rarer cases, Gigantism is caused by genetic disorders [88].

What Are Some Signs of Gigantism?

The most obvious sign of Gigantism is if your child is much taller (or growing much faster) than other peers of her age group.

To know if she’s growing at a normal pace, you can use the Growth Chart to track her growth (refer to Chapter 2 for more details).

Physical Deformities Caused by Gigantism

Other than being unusually tall, here are common signs of Gigantism [89]:

Very large hands and feet

Thick toes and fingers

Large heads

Facial features that are unusually large or unproportional (flat nose, and thick lips and tongue)

Below is a 22-year-old patient who was diagnosed with Gigantism, standing on the left side of his identical twin!

Source: University of Texas via nejm.org | Authors: Robert F Gagel, MD; Ian E McCutcheon, MD

Other Signs of Gigantism

Besides the physical deformities, here are some other common symptoms to look out for:

Insomnia and other sleep problems

Excessive sweating

Weakness

Headaches

Delayed puberty

Irregular menstrual periods (for girls)

Deafness

How Can You Check for Gigantism?

If you detect any unusual physical symptoms that may indicate that your child has Gigantism, take her to the doctor or pediatrician.

He may recommend one or more of the following tests (same for Acromegaly patients) [90, 91]:

Blood test (to measure HGH levels)

Oral glucose tolerance test

MRI scan of the pituitary gland (to check for any tumors in her pituitary)

How Can You Treat Gigantism?

The main goal of treatment is to stop or slow down your child’s production of HGH.

Depending on the cause and severity of the condition, your doctor will recommend different treatment methods.

It’s very important that your doctor regularly monitors your child’s pituitary gland after the treatment.

Here are the most common treatment methods for Gigantism (same for Acromegaly patients) [91, 92]:

Surgery to remove the pituitary tumor (80% of Gigantism caused by tumors are removed by this method)

Taking medications to:

Reduce HGH production in body (somatostatin analogues)

Reduce general hormone levels (dopamine agonists), or

Block HGH from being absorbed by tissues in the body (GH antagonist)

Radiation therapies (this is usually the last option, since radiation can be risky):

Conventional radiation therapy

Photo beam therapy

Stereotactic radiosurgery

To learn more about Gigantism, check out the full guide here:

Healthline: Gigantism

And since Gigantism and Acromegaly both have similar screening and treatment methods, you may want to look into Acromegaly as well.

To learn more about these methods, check out this article:

Mayo Clinic: Acromegaly (Diagnosis and Treatment)

Can Estrogen Help Shorten Tall Girls’ Heights?

If you have a tall daughter who’s concerned about growing too tall, you may have come across Estrogen as a possible solution.

And while some studies have shown that Estrogen slows down growth [93], this treatment has many downsides as well.

Here are 3 reasons why you should think twice about Estrogen treatments:

It can reduce fertility (harder time becoming pregnant) [94]

Increase risk of breast cancer [95], and

Long-term side effects of Estrogen treatments are still not known [96]

So if you’re considering estrogen treatment for your tall child, make sure to consult a doctor or pediatrician, and discuss these potential downsides.

To learn more about estrogen treatments, check out this article:

WebMD: ‘Fixing’ Girls Who Are Growing Too Tall

Gigantism: Key Takeaways

The most common cause of extremely tall children is Gigantism
Gigantism is usually caused by a tumor in the pituitary (and sometimes caused by other genetic disorders)
If Gigantism is detected early enough, your child can receive treatments to slow down her growth

You can use the Growth Charts (from Chapter 2) to see if your child is growing abnormally fast

Other signs of Gigantism are very large and unproportional body parts

A doctor or pediatrician can check your child’s HGH levels to see if she has Gigantism
Surgery can usually remove the pituitary tumor that causes Gigantism

Medication or radiation therapies are secondary treatment options

If you have an abnormally tall daughter, think twice about using Estrogen, since it has potential health risks

Chapter 11: What to Do If Your Child is Done Growing

Chapter 11

What to Do If Your Child is Done Growing

grow taller after growth

If your child is almost (or completely) done growing, I have a good news:

He can still grow 1 or 2 inches taller.

And no, I DON’T mean simply appearing taller…

…but actually growing taller.

In fact, I was able to grow 3.0 cm when I was 23 years old, simply by following the tips I’m going to show you in this chapter.

And in this chapter, I’ll show you how I was able to grow taller as an adult, and show you how your child can get the same result.

3 Steps to Increase Your Child’s Height (After Growth)

In this chapter, I’m going to teach you a 3-step method to increasing your child’s height (even if all of his bones have fused):

➊ Becoming taller

➋ Staying taller, and

➌ Growing taller

So what the heck’s the difference between these 3 steps?

By the end of this chapter, you’ll know exactly that the differences are.

But for now, I’ll briefly go over what each step is about:

1. Becoming taller = This step helps your child appear taller, but not actually grow physically taller

2. Staying taller = This step helps your child maintain the taller look he achieved from the previous step

3. Growing taller = This step helps your child actually grow physically taller

In this chapter, we’re going to focus mainly on step 3: growing taller

But for step #3 to work, your child needs to first master steps 1 and 2.

So without further ado, let’s quickly dive into step 1.

Step #1

Becoming Taller

Becoming taller means that your child is appearing to be taller, but isn’t actually growing taller physically.

(That’s what chapter 6 was all about)

To refresh your mind, here’s a picture to show you what I’m saying:

As you can see, the “twin” on the left appears taller, EVEN if both of their bones and spine have the exact same lengths.

This is why fixing a poor posture can actually make you taller instantly.

So how can your child fix his posture to appear taller?

Fortunately, if your child has implemented strategies from chapter 6, he is already at his tallest posture.

But if he hasn’t followed through with that chapter, no worries.

Here is a recap of all the things your child can do to fix his posture:

Ways to Correct Your Child’s Posture (to Become Taller)

Install a medium-firm mattress that’s your child feels comfortable sleeping on

Encourage your child to sleep without a pillow

Correct your child’s sitting posture (click here for the step-by-step process)

Encourage your child to sit less by taking frequent breaks, using standing desks, or lying down on his stomach when watching something

Optimize your child’s standing posture (click here for the step-by-step process)

Buy your child a posture corrector, and

Help your child feel more happy and confident

Step #2

Staying Taller

After your child has fixed his posture, he needs to be able to maintain that posture effortlessly.

As a wise man has once said: “It’s one thing to achieve success, but another thing to maintain success.”

So what does your child need to do to maintain his new posture with minimal effort?

By stretching and strengthening his postural muscles.

In Chapter 7 (part 2), we went over the best exercises that not only fix his posture, but also stretch and strengthen his muscles that support a good posture.

And here is a recap of those 9 exercises:

9 Exercises to Maintain a Straight Posture (for Staying Taller)

(Click on each exercise to see the video demonstration)

3 Bonus Resources for the Best Postural Exercises

Here are 3 bonus resources that your child can use to further improve and maintain his posture:

Brett (from Art of Manliness): 6 Exercises to Counteract Slouching

Jeff Cavaliere (from ATHLEAN-X): Perfect Posture in 5 Steps

Dr. Alan Mandell: 13 Best Postural Exercises for Forward Head Posture

Step #3

Growing Taller

This is the step you’ve been itching to read about.

So let me start off this step by answer the question that’s in your mind right now:

How in the WORLD can my child grow taller if his bones are done growing???

By lengthening a part of his body that CAN still grow longer in length:

His spine

I’ll explain.

As you can see, your spine has 24 bones (marked in white), which are separated by 23 different cartilage discs (marked in red).

But here’s the coolest part:

Even if your child’s bones stop growing in length, these cartilage discs CAN still grow longer [97].

In fact, a group of patients (whose average age was 65 years) were able to lengthen their cartilage discs to reduce their back pain [98].

So if 65-year-old patients can lengthen their spine, your child can too.

The question then becomes:

How Much Can Your Child’s Spine Actually Grow?

Quite a bit actually.

I’ll give you some concrete numbers to back this up:

If all your child does is increase each of his cartilage discs by 0.05 inches each, he’d grow 0.05 inches x 23 which equals 1.15 inches in total.

And that’s exactly how I was able to grow taller as an adult.

So how can your child maximize the length of the cartilage disks in his spine?

There are 3 things your child can do to maximize his spine length.

I call these the “Spine Maximizers”:

Spine Maximizer #1: Avoid Lifting Weights Over The Shoulders

If you want your child to MAXIMIZE his spine length, you want to MINIMIZE the weight on your child’s spine.

Now, if your child is still growing naturally, weight-lifting will NOT stunt his growth, since his bones can continue to grow no matter how much weight they have to bear.

But the cartilage discs in your child’s spine are different:

If they bear too much weight, they won’t be able to expand to their fullest lengths.

So too minimize the pressure on your child’s spine, he’ll want to avoid lifting heavy weights over his shoulders.

Here is what he’ll want to stop doing (for the next few months):

Overhead shoulder presses

Handstand pushups

Squats

Lifting heavy backpacks

Carrying anything that’s too heavy off the floor

On the flipside, he can still do some weight-lifting exercises that won’t compress his spine, such as:

Flat bench presses

Normal pushups

Cable exercises

Now here’s the good news:

Once your child has maximized his spine length, he can go back to doing heavy-lifting over his shoulders.

Because even if he puts pressure on his spine once again, he will still maintain his taller height [99, 100].

But until he reaches a plateau, he should minimize these spine-compressing activities.

Spine Maximizer #2: Maintain a Proper Posture (Already Done)

If your child has already followed the previous steps in this chapter, he has already completed this step.

Congratulations!

Now keep in mind that maintaining a proper posture isn’t only important for appearing taller, but growing taller as well.

This may seem contradictory to what you learned in Chapters 6 and 7, since I told you that good posture doesn’t increase bone length.

But maintaining a proper posture CAN increase the length of your cartilage discs.

I’ll explain.

Fixing Your Child’s Posture Can Take 60lbs Off of His Spine!

Remember: Your child’s cartilage discs can lengthen no matter how old he is [97, 98].

And for them to expand, he must minimize pressure on these discs by maintaining a proper posture.

But how will fixing his posture reduce this pressure exactly?

To give you concrete numbers: if your child fixes his posture, he can make his head lighter by 60 lbs (around 23 kg).

Source: symmetry.physio

So make sure your child maintains a proper posture, and he’ll be good.

Spine Maximizer #3: Increase Natural HGH

Throughout this entire guide, I harped on how your child needs enough HGH in his body to lengthen his bones.

But what I didn’t tell you is that HGH can also lengthen his cartilage discs as well [101, 102].

So to refresh your mind, I’ll give you 4 HGH-boosting strategies your child can take action on.
(These strategies are basically a collaboration of the previous chapters)

4 Ways to Boost Natural HGH (for Spine Growth)

➊ Get your child to consume foods with HGH-boosting Amino Acids

5 Amino Acids that boost HGH are: L-Ornithine, L-Arginine, L-Lysine, L-Glutamine, and L-Glycine

Click here to review the list of foods that contain these Amino Acids

➋ Your child needs to get enough quality sleep, by:

Sleeping before 10pm

Sleeping sufficiently, and waking up without an alarm

Sleeping in an environment without distractions (no lights or sounds)

Exercising during the day, and

Click here to review how to fully optimize your child’s sleep

➌ Your child can do high-intensity exercises

Make sure your child takes proper precaution steps before doing any kind of exercise

Click here to review what high-intensity exercises look like

➍ Your child should avoid habits that can lower HGH, such as:

Consuming caffeine

Eating too much sugar

Drinking alcohol, or

Using marijuana

Remember: Results will Depend On Your Child

If your child implements the strategies I taught you in this chapter, it’s possible for him to grow taller by an inch or 2.

But remember: your child might get different results.

For example, if your child’s bones are still able to grow slightly, he may grow EVEN MORE than 2 inches.

On the flip side, if your child is done growing, AND he is already doing many of the strategies we covered in this chapter, he won’t see too much difference in his height.

But whether or not he ends up growing 2 inches, or just a centimeter, do remember that this chapter (and the rest of this guide) goes beyond helping your child become taller:

Following this guide will improve your child’s health.

Increasing Height After Growth: Key Takeaways

Your child can take 3 steps to increase his height by 1 to 2 inches (after his bones have stopped growing):

➊ Become taller: by fixing his posture

➋ Stay taller: by stretching and strengthening his postural muscles

➌ Grow taller: by lengthening the cartilage discs in his spine

Here are 3 strategies that can help him increase his spine length:

Not lifting heavy weights above his shoulders

Maintaining a straight posture to reduce weight on his spine, and

Raising his HGH naturally by:

↳ Consuming foods with Amino Acids that boost HGH

↳ Getting deep sleep every night

↳ Doing high-intensity exercises, and

↳ Avoiding habits that lower HGH (caffeine, sugar, alcohol, marijuana)

Bonus Chapter: How to Motivate Your Child to Take Action

Bonus Chapter

How to Motivate Your Child to Take Action

motivate your child

You now know just about EVERYTHING to help your child reach his maximum potential height.

But the question is:

How in the world can you get this guide to work for your child?

By motivating him to take action.

And in this chapter, I’m going to show you how to do just that.

But since I’m not a parent myself, I used the the knowledge of parenting experts to gather the BEST tips for motivating your child.

(Without them, this chapter would not be possible)

So without further ado, here are 10 ways you can motivate your child to grow taller:

Height Motivation Tip #1: Love Your Child Unconditionally

Before we dive deeply into these motivational tips, I want to emphasize one thing:

Your child is much more than his height.

In fact, your #1 priority for your child should be optimizing his happiness, health, and emotional well-being over EVERYTHING else.

(Yes, even more than becoming taller)

But here is where it gets interesting:

If you give your child lots of love and positivity, not only will he be much happier and more confident, but he’ll be much more receptive to whatever you ask him to do.

So in other words: You can love your child, AND get him to take actions that will help him increase his height.

But remember at the end of the day, your love is the greatest give you can give your child.

To learn more about how to love your child unconditionally, check out this post written by Dr. Laura Markham from Aha! Parenting:

5 Secrets to Love Your Child Unconditionally

Height Motivation Tip #2: Set a Vision for Your Child

If you want your child to follow all of the tips in this guide, he needs to be SUPER MOTIVATED to grow taller.

Why?

Because for this guide to work, he needs to follow these advices NOT for a few days, weeks, or even months…

He needs to follow these strategies for several years of his childhood and adolescence.

So how do you give your child maximum motivation?

Show him pictures of tall people who are charismatic.

If your children associate tall height with positivity, they’ll be motivated to become tall themselves.

So if you have a son, and he’s really into sports, you can post pictures of tall athletes like LeBron James or Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Or if he’s into the celebrity world, you can show him full-body pictures of The Rock or Hugh Jackman.

And if you have a daughter, show her pictures of tall and beautiful models, such as Taylor Swift or Katie Holmes.

To learn how to amp up your child to accomplish big things, check out this post on All Pro Dad:

10 Ways to Motivate Your Child

Height Motivation Tip #3: Use Positivity as the Driving Force

Notice that in the previous section, I did NOT include “show your child pictures of short people” as a motivational tip?

That’s because excitement works much more effectively than fear.

So if your child gets motivated to become tall by looking at a picture of LeBron James every day, he will become super motivated to become taller, and his actions will reflect that.

On the flipside, if he looks at a picture of Filius Flitwick from Harry Potter every day, he will ironically do things that will attract that image.

(Much love Warwick 🙂)

Bottom line?

If you want your child to take certain actions, motivate him to go after what is desirable, rather than running away from something that he DOESN’T want.

To learn how to get your child to make positive decisions, check out this post written by Nancy Jergins from iMoM:

5 Ways to Teach Your Kids to Make Good Decisions

Height Motivation Tip #4: Think Rewards, Not Punishments

This tip builds on the last one.

If you reward your child for doing things that you want him to do, he’ll do more of it.

But if you punish your child for doing things that you DON’T want him to do, he’ll do more of that as well.

How so?

Because whenever you react (positively OR negatively) to anything your child does, you are reinforcing that behaviour from your child.

So if your child goes to bad at 2 am, the best thing to do is to let it go.

On the flipside, if you see your child eating height maximizing foods, make sure to reward that behavior with positivity.

As counter-intuitive this seems, it’s the best way to ensure that your child does more of what you want him to do.

To learn the power of positive reinforcements, check out this post written by Amy Morin:

Positive Reinforcement to Improve a Child’s Behavior

Height Motivation Tip #5: Intrinsic Rewards Win Any Day

The question then becomes:

What is the best way to reward your child’s behavior?

Before I answer that question, let’s look at the 2 main ways that you can reward your child:

Intrinsic Reward vs Extrinsic Reward

Intrinsic Reward = A positive emotion that your child feels naturally from doing a certain activity
Extrinsic Reward = An external reward that you give to your child after he does something you want

So which route should you take?

I recommend the intrinsic reward route.

Research has shown that intrinsic rewards are much more effective than extrinsic rewards, for 2 reasons:

1. Intrinsic rewards encourages your child to take a certain action for a longer time, since the activity makes him feel good

2. Extrinsic rewards don’t last as long, because once you remove them from the equation, your child will no longer take the action you want him to take

So whenever your child does anything to help himself become taller as an adult, you want him to feel good naturally from doing that activity.

I’ll give you 2 practical examples of how you can use this approach:

How to Intrinsically Motivate Your Child to Maintain a Better Posture

To give an example, let’s say that you want him to stretch (to maintain a straighter posture).

Here would be the 2 ways that you can reward your child:

Reward him intrinsically by: Asking him how good he feels from stretching his tight muscles, and reducing his back pain

Reward him extrinsically by: Tell him that he’s a good boy for keeping a straight posture, and give him a cookie

If your child feels good from stretching, he’ll naturally want to keep doing it without you nagging about it every hour.

But if your child only stretches because he wants that cookie from you, he’ll stop stretching once you run out of cookies to give him.

How to Intrinsically Motivate Your Child to Eat Height Maximizing Foods

Another example: Let’s say you want your child to consume Protein-rich foods.

Here are 2 ways you can reinforce that behavior:

Reward him intrinsically by: Asking him how good your grilled salmon tastes (and if he doesn’t like it, you can repeat this step with another Protein-rich dish)

Reward him extrinsically by: Giving him 30 minutes of PlayStation time after he eats your grilled salmon

As you can see once again, it’s obvious that the first option requires less effort, and is much more sustainable.

Bottom line?

Get your child to feel intrinsically good about the practices that help him grow taller, and he’ll continue to take the right actions without you having to nag him hour after hour.

To learn how your child can become more intrinsically motivated, check out this post written by Brittany Dixon:

Raising Intrinsically Motivated Kids

Height Motivation Tip #6: Widen The Choices for Your Child

If you want your child to follow this guide for years to come, being lenient is key.

For example, optimizing your child’s nutrition is easy, since there are a VARIETY of different foods that can support his growth.

So if you want to optimize your child’s Calcium intake, you can simply show him ALL the foods that are rich in Calcium, and ask him which of the Calcium-rich foods he likes best.

You can use this same approach when you want to help him straighten his posture.

Instead of forcing him to do certain exercises every day, you want to familiarize him with all of the exercises I taught you in this guide, and ask him which one he enjoys doing.

This will make it much easier for him to do exercises that will keep his posture straight, since he will genuinely like doing those exercises.

Now, you won’t be able to take this approach to every aspect of his life.

For example, if you want him to go to sleep on time, there aren’t that many choices to offer him besides encouraging him to go to sleep early.

(But fortunately, this problem can be solved by implementing the next tip)

To learn the power of giving your child many choices, check out this post written by JoAnn from No Guilt Mom:

2 Simple Ways to Get Kids to Listen the First Time You Ask

Height Motivation Tip #7: Create a Height Maximizing Environment for Your Child

Optimizing your child’s environment will make the last few tips much easier to follow through with.

To give you an example of what I mean, let’s look at 2 children: John and Carly

Inside John’s room, he has a fridge full of vegetables, which contain lots of Vitamin C (one of the 5 Height Maximizing Nutrients)

On the flipside, Carly has a shelf full of sugary oreos that can lower her HGH levels, which would slow down her growth.

So who is more likely to consume foods that will help them grow taller?

Well, John obviously!

But was John necessarily “parented” better than Carly?

Not really.

The only difference was their environment.

So for your child, you want to optimize his environment so that he is naturally inclined to do things that will support his growth (and overall health).

Here are some ways you can optimize his environment for maximum growth:

5 Ways to Create a Height Maximizing Environment

For nutrition: Only keep healthy foods in the house, and get rid of all junk food (for a completely list of the best height growth foods, click here)
For sleep: Turn off all lights and wifi inside the house by 10pm
For keeping a straight posture: Get your child a pomodoro timer (to take frequent breaks from sitting), posture corrector, and/or standing desk
For exercising: Create enough space in your child’s room, and get him a yoga mat and an elastic band
For motivation: Post pictures of tall role models he looks up to (like Michael Jordan)

To learn how your child’s environment can shape his behavior, check out this post by Dr. Amy Sussna Klein:

The Power of Purposeful Preschool Environments

Height Motivation Tip #8: Become a Height Maximizer Yourself

There is one part of your child’s environment that we didn’t cover.

And that is you!

In fact, out of everything that’s within your child’s environment, you’re the most influential factor.

So to fully optimize your child’s environment for maximum growth, you need to be a good role model.

In other words, if you want your child to apply the strategies I taught you in this guide, you must become a Height Maximizer yourself.

That means that you’re going to have to do the following on a consistent basis:

Eat healthy, and avoid eating junk foods

Go to sleep early

Maintain a proper posture throughout the day, and take many breaks from sitting

Exercise and stretch regularly

Limit your drinking or cannabis usage

If you’re not confident about following through with these practices, just remember my last tip, and optimize your environment (excuse my circular logic).

That way, it’ll be much easier to stick to these practices on a much more consistent basis.

To learn about how to be a better role model for your child, check out this post on The Center of Parenting Education:

Being a Good Role Model – The Promise and The Peril

Height Motivation Tip #9: Remember that Your Child is Human

If your child doesn’t follow through with EVERYTHING I teach you in this guide, you should be relieved.

Why?

Because it proves that he’s a human (and not a robot).

As human beings, we never follow through with anything perfectly, since we’re bound to make mistakes all the time.

So if your child snacks on a sugar-filled smoothie, or stays up very late watching a movie that came out recently, you must recognize that he’s human, and let it go as soon as you can.

While this forgiving mindset seems like you’re allowing your child to go in the wrong direction, it’s the best way to dismiss unwanted behaviors.

Remember tip #4: Whenever you react positively or negatively to anything, you are reinforcing that behaviour from your child.

So as long as your child doesn’t doesn’t go over the border, let his mistakes go, and continually improve his actions by:

Loving your child

Motivating your child

Praising his positive behaviors

Optimizing his environment, and

Being a good role model

To learn the power of ignoring unwanted behaviors, check out this post written by Amy Morin:

Reduce Attention-Seeking Behaviors by Ignoring

Height Motivation Tip #10: Communicate With Your Child Openly and Frequently

For you to make all of these strategies work in your favor, you must understand your child on a very deep level.

Because when you understand your child deeply, you’ll have a much easier time encouraging him to take a certain set of actions, because you’ll know what truly motivates him (and what doesn’t).

So how can you get to know your child more deeply?

By doing 2 things:

➊

Learn About Your Child by Having Frequent 1-on-1 Conversations

If you want to strengthen your relationship with your child, talking him to him regularly is key.

Because the more often you talk to your child, the more comfortable he’ll feel talking to you.

This may be hard for you if you’re usually out working, or generally have a busy lifestyle.

But do whatever you can to dedicate at least a portion of your day to interact with your child.

This means having breakfast together, going for walks, and joining him when he’s doing his favorite activities.

Now onto the juicer tip:

➋

Learn About Your Child by Encouraging Him to Be Fully Expressive

If you talk regularly, he’ll already be pretty open with you, since he feels comfortable with you.

But how can you get your child to be even more open about himself?

Here are some conversational rules to keep in mind, if you want your child to fully open about his thoughts and feelings:

Always put yourself in his shoes, and talk to him in a way that he wants to be spoken to

Show curiosity and appreciation for whatever he has to say about any topic

Stay non-judgmental, and listen to everything that he has to say with open arms, no matter how positive or negative

Questions to Ask Your Child to Understand Him Deeply

Here are some simple questions you can ask your child:

How are you feeling today?

What was your favorite part of your day?

What were some things that you didn’t enjoy as much?

If you can live today all over again, what would you do differently?

You can also ask him bigger, more open-ended questions, such as:

What is the one thing in your life that you’re grateful for more than anything else?

What is the one thing you wish you can change about your life?

What is one thing that you look forward to doing in the future?

What is one thing you regret about in the past?

Also, don’t be afraid to ask him questions about how he feels about you, such as:

If I was an ideal parent, what would I continue doing?

What would I do more of? or

What would I stop doing altogether?

Questions You Can Ask Your Child About His Height

And finally, here are some questions you can ask your child about his height:

How do you feel about your current height?

How does your height compare to your peers? Do you feel comfortable about that?

How tall do you truly want to become as an adult?

How would you feel to be the tallest person in the room?

How would you feel like to be the shortest person in the room?

Is becoming tall (or not becoming short) something that you consider to be important?

To encourage your child to be more open with you, check out this post written by Dr. Laura Markham from Aha! Parenting:

10 Foolproof Strategies for Getting Kids to Talk

Motivating Your Child to Become Taller: Key Takeaways

Love your child unconditionally for who he is
Set a clear vision for him (by showing him pictures of tall people he can look up to)
Focus on motivating your child to grow taller (rather than making him fear being short)
Reward him for behaving in constructive ways (rather than punishing him for doing the wrong things)
Encourage your child to be intrinsically motivated (rather than extrinsically motivated)
Widen the choices for your child when it comes to picking nutrition and exercises for optimal growth
Optimize his environment so that he’ll naturally do things to make himself taller
Be a good role model for your child, and he’ll follow what you do
Remember that your child is human, and he’s bound to make mistakes all the time
Get to know your child deeply by communicating with him openly and frequently

Congratulations!

If you reading this right now, I want to say congratulations.

The fact that you read this entire guide shows me that you truly care about helping your child not only get taller, but become more healthy and confident.

At this point, you may be feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the information that you’ve soaked up from this guide.

So to make your life easier, I’m going to give you a super-summary of EVERYTHING you need to take away from this guide.

Helping Your Child Grow Taller: Super Summary

Visit your doctor or pediatrician at least once or twice every year to make sure that your child is healthy, and doesn’t have any problems that can interfere with her growth
In Chapter 1: We looked at the importance of non-genetic factors (such as nutrition and diseases) for your child’s height

So whether or not he has short genetics, he can improve his adult height by 3 inches or more if he does the right things

In Chapter 2: We discussed how to use growth charts, and the importance of measuring your child’s height once every month to 3 months
In Chapter 3: We emphasized that HGH (Human Growth Hormone) is the #1 factor that will contribute to your child’s height

Therefore, the main goal of this guide is to show you how your child can maximize her HGH levels naturally and safely

Your child can maximize his natural HGH production by:

Consuming nutrients that promote bone growth, which are Amino Acids, Proteins, Vitamin C, Calcium, and Vitamin D (covered in Chapter 4)

Getting enough deep sleep every night (covered in Chapter 5), and

Doing High-Intensity Exercises, or just by being active if he’s 12 years or younger (covered in Chapter 7)

Factors that can lower HGH are:

Growth plate injuries, which are usually caused by poor exercise techniques (covered in Chapter 7)

Habits that decrease HGH, such as caffeine, sugar, alcohol, and marijuana (covered in Chapter 8)

Conditions and diseases (covered in Chapter 9)

In Chapter 6: We discussed that keeping a good posture can make make your child taller instantly, and help her develop a strong and stable body structure
In Chapter 10: We went over how to deal with Gigantism, a condition that can make your child abnormally tall
In Chapter 11: We looked at how your child can further increase his height by increasing his spine length (even after his bones are done growing)
In the Bonus Chapter: We looked at how love and positivity can motivate your child to take the right actions
Remember: Your child is more than her height.

Now, if you’re serious about helping your child reach her full potential height, I suggest that you re-read each chapter thoroughly.

And if you want your child to stick to these strategies for years to come, you’ll want to take a very gradual approach.

In other words:

Instead of pressuring your child to take action on everything at once, make sure that he integrates strategies from just one chapter at a time.

Once he gets used to whatever lifestyle changes he makes from one chapter, he can move onto the next chapter, and so on.

And slowly but surely, he’ll grow up to become not just taller, but much healthier, stronger, and more confident.

It’s Time to Take Action!

cool tall guy

You are now ready to help your child become a taller adult.

So I want to ask you:

Which of these chapters are you going to implement first?

Are you going to go to your doctor to get her health checked?

Are you thinking about encouraging your child to exercise more?

Or maybe, you started jotting down what foods to buy at the groceries.

Whatever’s on your mind, let me know by leaving me a comment below right now.

← Go Back to Part 1

Child Draft

The COMPLETE Guide to Helping Your Children Grow Taller

This is the ultimate guide to helping your children grow taller.

But let me say this right off the bat:

I’m NOT going to give you general tips you’ve already heard a thousand times, like “eat well, do stretches, and sleep a lot”.

You’re about to learn the EXACT step-by-step blueprint for helping your children reach their full potential height by adulthood.

Now, it doesn’t matter whether your child is a 3-year-old toddler, or a 16-year-old teenage boy.

Because this guide contains strategies that work for ANYONE who is growing, no matter how young or old.

Bottom line: if you want your children to be happier about their height, you’ll love this guide.

How to Get the BEST Results With This Guide

how to grow taller best results

Before we go further, I want to give you a heads up:

This guide is SUPER long (or should I say… super tall 🙃)

And it’s for one simple reason:

This guide has literally EVERYTHING you need to know in order to maximize your child’s height.

That’s why I divided this guide into 2 parts:

☝️ Part 1 Overview ☝️

In Part 1, we’re going to talk about the basic fundamentals you need to know to ensure that your child grows properly.

In fact, just by reading Part 1, you’ll know 80% of everything he needs to do to reach his full potential height as an adult.

And by the end of this part, you’ll get a better idea of how much taller your child can grow by using this guide.

✌️ Part 2 Overview ✌️

In Part 2, we’re going to discuss additional strategies that will help your child boost her height even further.

Also, if your child is almost (or fully) done growing, or has a condition that may affect her height, you’ll find this chapter useful.

And as a bonus: you’re going to learn exactly how to motivate your child to take action on this guide.

Now, if you’re truly serious about helping your child maximize his height, you’re going to want to read from the beginning to end.

But if you want to skip to a certain chapter, you can always click the Table of Contents icon on the top right corner.

Either way, I highly suggest that you bookmark this page on your browser, so you can read the entire guide at your own pace.

Make sure to take good notes, and take deliberate action.

And most importantly, consult your doctor before your child makes any radical changes to her lifestyle.

With that, let’s dive right into part 1 of this guide.

Quick Note!

If you want to skip to any chapter, simply click the grey button at the top-right side:

(Since the buttons aren’t working properly at the moment, you might have to click the chapter a few times in order to get to it)

Enjoy! 🙂

Contents – Part 1

Chapter 1

How Tall Can Your Child Become?

Chapter 2

Track Your Child's Growth

Chapter 3

Boost HGH to Maximize Growth

Chapter 4

Essential Nutrients for Growth

Chapter 5

Optimize Sleep for Maximum Growth

Chapter 6

Correct Posture for Proper Growth

Chapter 1: How Tall Can Your Child Become?

Chapter 1

How Tall Can Your Child Actually Become?

boy and man

Before we jump into the tactics, let’s address the real issue:

genetics, genetics, GENETICS!

You’ve probably heard over 1293 times that your height is limited by your genetics.

But in reality: Non-genetic factors can make or break your child’s height.

To prove my point, we’ll look at a few real-world examples that show how much influence environmental factors have on your child’s height.

And by the end of the chapter, you’ll know how much difference this guide can make for your child.

There is an overwhelming debate about how much your genetics affect your height.

On one hand, many experts claim that about 80% of your height is determined by your genetics [1].

Other experts claim that genes account for only 10% of the differences in adult heights [2].

But the real question is:

How much can YOUR child actually grow?

Although I can’t give you an exact answer, I’ll say this:

Your child can become much taller than you or your spouse.

To convince you that this is possible, let’s look at 3 real-life case studies that prove how important non-genetic factors can be for your child’s height.

Case Study #1

People Who Outgrew Their Parents

We both know who Michael Jordan is for his legendary accomplishments on the court.

But you might not know about something incredible he accomplished outside basketball.

(And no, it’s NOT baseball…)

It’s outgrowing his parents by several inches.

Specifically, Michael Jordan became 6’6″ tall as an adult, while his father was only 5’9″, and his mother was around 5’5″ tall.

In other words, Michael grew to become 9 inches (23 cm) taller than his dad!

Source: nydailynews.com via howtheyplay.com | Author: Charles Nuamah

Now, he’s not the only basketball player who was able to accomplish this feat.

Let’s look at Jeremy Lin (6’3″), who also grew 9 inches (23 cm) taller than both of his parents (5’6″):

Source: crossmap.com via howtheyplay.com | Author: Charles Nuamah

And here’s Gordon Hayward (6’8″), who became 10 inches (25.4 cm) taller than his parents (5’10”):

Source: deseretnews.com via howtheyplay.com | Author: Charles Nuamah

Now, here’s what you might be thinking:

Well, maybe their tall genes came from their grandparents, and skipped their parents and other siblings!

You may be right about that too.

That’s why I’m about to show you case studies that are even more convincing.

Case Study #2

A Country That Became Shorter Than Their Genetically Related Siblings

You probably know that North Koreans don’t get to pig out at Boston Pizza every day.

But how much does malnutrition affect their height?

Quite a lot.

As you can see below, North Koreans are up to 8 cm (3.1 inches) shorter than South Koreans on average.

Note: I’ve modified this image to illustrate their height proportions more accurately.
Source: OEC via BBC.com | Authors: Mark Bryson, Gerry Fletcher and Prina Shah

But do the 2 Koreans have different genes? Not really.

In fact, North and South Korea were together as one nation for 1000s of years, and separated less than 100 years ago (after World War II).

So as Professor Daniel Schwekendiek puts it:

It’s NOT genetics, but food shortages that likely caused North Koreans to become shorter than South Koreans over the years [3].

Case Study #3

Countries That Became Taller WITHOUT Changing Their Genes

(Before we go further, keep in mind that all graphs in this section are based on male data, since most historical data on heights are gathered from soldiers, criminals, and servants) [4]

With that out of the way, let’s get right into our next example:

How the Japanese Grew 3 Inches Taller (by Improving Their Nutrition)

Up until World War II, the Japanese ate mostly rice.

But after the war, the Japanese added more animal proteins and fats in to their diet.

The result?

They grew over 3 inches over the past few decades [5, 6].

Here’s a graph showing the average height of 17-year-old Japanese males:

Source: nbakki.hatenablog.com

So, does this mean that feeding your child more proteins and fats can make him grow 3 inches taller?

Potentially. But more can be possible.

And I have more case studies to back up this possibility:

How European Countries Grew 5 Inches Taller Throughout The Years

Let’s look at height statistics of 4 countries in particular:

Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, and France

As you can see on the graph below, the average male of all 4 countries grew at least 12.6 cm (5 inches) in the past few decades:

Source: University of Tuebingen via ourworldindata.org | Author: Max Roser (@MaxCRoser)

Now, did these countries magically alter their genes during these years?

I doubt it.

But there is one thing that these countries DID change: their income

How The Dutch Became 7.5 Inches Taller (as Their Income Grew)

Of the 4 European countries, let’s zoom in on Netherlands.

Specifically, let’s look at the height vs income graph of Dutch males in the past few decades:

Source: randalolson.com | Author: Dr. Randal S. Olson (@randal_olson)

As you can see, their median male height increased by around 19 cm (7.5 inches) as their income improved over the years.

But what did raising income have to do with growing taller?

According to Dr. Randal Olson, improving their income likely gave them access to an abundance of healthier foods, which would’ve helped them improve their nutrition [7].

And when you look at how:

Malnutrition caused North Koreans to become 3.1 inches shorter than their southern siblings, and

Eating more protein and fats helped the Japanese become more than 3 inches taller on average,

It makes sense why Dr. Olson and other experts emphasize the importance of nutrition and health when it comes to growing taller [2, 7, 8].

What These Case Studies Mean For Your Child

As you witnessed, the average height of several countries increased noticeably over the years, while their genes stayed the same.

So what’s the bottom line?

While genetics have their place, your child can increase his adult height substantially by optimizing non-genetic factors (such as nutrition).

Now, keep in mind that these countries didn’t deliberately try to grow taller.

But by simply improving their nutrition, health, and overall quality of life, their height increased substantially.

So imagine how much taller your child can become if he optimizes not only his nutrition, but EVERY part of his lifestyle to reach his maximum height…

And luckily for you, I’m going to show you how to do just that.

Your Child’s Height Potential: Key Takeaways

Although genetics play a huge role in your child’s height, non-genetic factors can make or break your child’s height as an adult

The main non-genetic factors to watch out for are your child’s nutrition, health, and lifestyle (more on this later)

We looked at several case studies that clearly show how much these non-genetic factors can affect your child’s height:

NBA players who outgrew their parents by up to 10 inches (25.4 cm)

North Koreans are 3.1 inches (8 cm) shorter than South Koreans due to malnutrition (but they have the same genes)

The Japanese population grew 3 inches taller since World War II, after adding more proteins and fats into their diet

Several European countries grew at least 12.6 cm (5 inches) in the past few decades

The average Dutch height increased by around 20 cm (7.9 inches) as their income grew and had access to healthier foods

Remember that these countries didn’t aim to grow taller, but they still grew simply by improving their nutrition and health

So If your child can take action on this guide, he can double-down on these non-genetic factors, which will help him reach his full potential height

Chapter 2: Track Your Child’s Growth

Chapter 2

Track Your Child’s Growth

Now you know what’s possible for your child, it’s time to move onto our first step:

Tracking your child’s growth.

If you want to ensure that your child is growing at the right pace, you must nail this process.

And in this chapter, I’m going to show you a simple 2-step process to track your child’s growth with maximum accuracy.

Let’s dive into each step one at a time.

Step #1

Measure Your Child’s Height With Maximum Accuracy

Measuring your child’s height isn’t rocket science, but it’s important that you measure her accurately every time.

Because if you don’t, you can’t go back in time to measure her again (obviously).

So here are 5 important rules to follow when measuring your child’s height:

➊

Measure around the same time of day

Since our heights fluctuate from morning to night, it’s important to measure your child around the same time of the day.

I recommend measuring in the morning, since your child’s height will differ each evening (depending on what activities she engages in throughout the day).

Now, you DON’T need to measure at the exact same time each day.

Just measure her height as soon as she gets up.

Simple as that.

➋

Make sure your child gets enough sleep the day before

Sleep is important for growing taller, since that’s when majority of height growth happens.

(More on this later)

For now, just know that by sleeping sufficiently every night, her spine length will stay consistent every time you measure her.

➌

Measure using the same tool

This may seem like common sense, but you’d be surprised by how many people overlook this rule.

If you measure your child’s height with different rulers, you WON’T get consistent measurements, since every ruler is slightly different.

So pick a measuring ruler that you will use for the next few years.

I recommend using a simple tape ruler.

The rulers you stick to walls isn’t too reliable, since you may move homes in the years to come.

And if you’re absolutely nuts about precision, you can get yourself a stadiometer (but I don’t think it’s worth the price).

➍

Keep your measurements consistent

After you pick your ruler, it’s time to measure your child’s height.

Here are 7 steps to measure her height as accurately as possible:

1. Grab a light and hard book

2. Get your child to stand against the wall, with the back of her heels and head touching the wall

3. Place the book on top of her head, and keep the book parallel to the floor as much as possible

4. Get her to lower her chin, and adjust her head position until she is at her tallest height

5. Mark her height with a pencil

6. Grab your ruler (that you picked from the previous step), stick it to the bottom of the wall, and extend it up to the mark.

7. Right down her height, date, and time in a notebook (or Excel spreadsheet)

Remember: You can only measure her correctly the first time, so make sure you nail it!

➎

Measure in consistent time intervals

In other words: if you’re going to measure her every month, measure her every month.

If you’re going to measure every 3 months, measure every 3 months.

This will spread out her measurements evenly, which will help you spot unusual changes in her growth much more clearly.

So how often should you measure?

I recommend measuring once every month OR once every 3 months.

Every day or every week is too often, because your child will have barely grown.

And if you wait longer than 3 months between measurements, you won’t have enough data to know if your child is growing at the right pace.

But whatever frequency you choose, make sure to keep it consistent.

Step #2

Use The Growth Chart to Track and Predict Your Child’s Height

Unfortunately, there is no way to know EXACTLY how tall your child should be at every age.

But this shouldn’t stop you from knowing if your child is growing at the right pace.

Thankfully, there are many tools and resources that can tell you if your child is growing properly.

And by far, the best tool for tracking your child’s growth is the growth chart.

Growth Charts for Boys and Girls

If your child is 0 to 2 years old, here are the growth charts you want to use:

Boys Growth Chart (Ages 0 to 2 Years)

Girls Growth Chart (Ages 0 to 2 Years)

And if your child is 2 years or older, you’ll want to use these:

Boys Growth Chart (Ages 2 Years or Older)

Girls Growth Chart (Ages 2 Years or Older)

3 Simple Steps to Using the Growth Chart

Once you’ve:

Measured your child’s height, and

Picked the right chart for your child’s gender and age,

You’re ready to track your child’s growth.

For this example, we’re going to use the Growth Chart to track Tom, who is 6 years old, and is 3′ 7″ tall.

Here is Dr. Iannelli’s step-by-step process to using the chart accurately:

➊

At the bottom of the chart, find your child’s age, and draw a vertical line to the top of the graph.

Source: cdc.gov

➋

Find your child’s height on the left, and draw a horizontal line until you reach the vertical line.

(Tom’s height in inches is: 3 feet x 12 + 7 inches = 43 inches)

➌

Find the curve that’s closest to this intersection, and follow the curve until you get to 2 numbers.

For Tom, you’ll find that he gets to the numbers: 10 and 66

growth chart step 3 by Vincent Iannelli MD

Source: verywellfamily.com | Author: Dr. Vincent Iannelli (@AboutPediatrics)

So, what are these 2 numbers exactly?

1. The first number is Tom’s Growth Percentile (which equals 10), and

2. The second number is Tom’s Predicted Adult Height (which equals 66 Inches or 5′ 6″).

What is Your Child’s Growth Percentile?

So you’re probably wondering: what is a growth percentile, and why is it important?

Your child’s growth percentile = the percentage of children who are shorter than your child (who are the same age)

Since Tom’s Growth Percentile is 10, it means that Tom is taller than 10% of children who are also 6 years old.

Now, the point of this procedure ISN’T to see how tall your child is compared to other children.

Rather, your child’s growth percentile will help you know if she’s growing properly or not.

How to Use The Growth Percentile to Gauge Your Child’s Rate of Growth

Here are 2 steps you can use your child’s growth percentile to ensure she’s growing at the right pace:

1. Go through all of your child’s existing measurements, and label them with a growth percentile (using the Growth Chart).

2. If her growth percentile stays relatively consistent, it’s an indication that she’s growing at a healthy pace.

For example, if your child’s growth percentile is 70% when she’s 7 years old, 75% when she’s 8, and 80% when she’s 9, it shows that your child is growing normally.

If your child’s original growth percentile is 75%, it’s normal for her height to fluctuate from that line

When Is It Normal For Your Child’s Growth to Fall Off Her Growth Percentile?

It’s important to remember that these growth charts are simply estimations.

Therefore, it’s normal for your child’s growth percentile to fluctuate (to a certain point).

Specifically, your child’s growth percentile will tend to fluctuate the most during 2 different growth spurts:

1. During 1st year of infancy [9], and

2. During puberty (10 ~ 14 for girls, and 12 ~ 16 for boys) [10]

During her growth spurts, your child’s growth percentile will tend to fluctuate more than usual, since everyone goes through growth spurts at different times.

Having said that, if you notice that your child’s growth percentile falls off drastically at any point, make sure to seek help from a pediatrician.

Your child’s height will fluctuate even more during these growth spurt periods

The Ultimate Goal For Your Child

The goal for your child is to increase her growth percentile by the time she becomes an adult.

Now, you shouldn’t expect your child to go from 5% to 95% by adulthood, since genetics does play a role here.

But as we discussed in Chapter 1, non-genetic factors can also plays a HUGE role in how tall your child becomes.

Therefore, by doing the right things, it’s possible for your child to increase her growth percentile by the time she becomes an adult.

And in the following chapters, I’ll show you how to optimize your child’s lifestyle for maximum growth.

Tracking Your Child’s Growth: Key Takeaways

To ensure that your child is growing normally:

➊ Measure her height accurately and consistently by following my 5 measurement rules, and

➋ Use the growth chart to track her height with 3 simple steps

Following the growth chart will help you find out your child’s growth percentile and predicted adult height

Growth Percentile indicates the % of children (same age) that are shorter than your child

It’s normal for your child’s growth percentile to fluctuate (especially during her infant and pubertal growth spurts)
But if her height ever deviates from the line drastically, make sure to go to a doctor or pediatrician
This guide will help your child increase her growth percentile by the time she becomes an adult!

Chapter 3: Boost HGH for Height

Chapter 3

Boost Human Growth Hormone for Height

Human growth hormone (a.k.a. HGH) is a natural hormone that your body produces, and it serves many vital functions, such as:

Generating your cells and tissues [11]

Producing fluids in your body [12]

Keeping your immune system strong and healthy

But most importantly…

HGH lengthens your child’s bones throughout her childhood and teenage years [12].

So the more HGH your child produces in her body, the more she’ll grow.

And in this chapter, I’m going to show you exactly how your child can optimize her HGH levels for maximum growth.

There are 5 questions to answer when it comes to increasing your child’s HGH

➊ How does HGH make you taller?

➋ Is HGH safe?

➌ How do you know if your child has too little HGH?

➍ How do you know if your child has too much HGH?

➎ How can your child optimize her HGH levels for maximum height growth?

Now before I go further, I want to make one thing clear:

HGH, growth hormone, and human growth hormone all mean the same thing!

So with that out of the way, let’s tackle each question, one by one.

➊

How Does HGH Make You Taller?

HGH is produced in a small region inside your brain called the pituitary gland.

And when HGH enters your blood and reaches your bones, it signals your bones to grow in length [13, 14].

For a more detailed explanation of HGH, check out this article on PubMed: Growth Hormone and Bone

So the more HGH your child produces from her pituitary, the longer her bones will grow [13, 15].

And in the next few chapters, I’m going to show you how your child can boost her HGH levels to maximize her growth.

But first, let’s address a common concern that people have about HGH:

➋

Is Human Growth Hormone Safe?

Many people think that HGH is a dangerous substance.

But this can’t be further from the truth.

Why?

Because HGH is a hormone your body secretes naturally from birth.

So why do people think HGH is so dangerous?

Because they confuse natural HGH with synthetic HGH.

Here is the main difference between the two types:

Natural HGH vs Synthetic HGH

Natural HGH: Hormone that is secreted naturally from your pituitary glands
Synthetic HGH: Artificially made chemical that you put in your body via medicine, drugs, or injections

As you can guess, natural HGH is safe since your body produces it naturally, but synthetic HGH can be risky if not used correctly [11].

And in the next few chapters, I’ll show you how your child can boost her natural HGH for maximum growth.

But if your child severely lacks HGH in her body, synthetic HGH may be necessary to help your child grow normally [16].

Which brings us to the next point:

➌

How Do You Know If Your Child Has Too Little HGH?

Source: hormone.org via build-muscle-101.com

One of the most obvious signs of HGH deficiency is growing abnormally slow.

(And Chapter 2 was all about know if your child is growing properly or not)

Along with that, here are some of some signs of HGH deficiencies [12]:

Being shorter than children their age

Growing less than 2 inches per year

Face appears younger than children their age

Delayed puberty (sometimes may not even go through puberty)

Increased fat (around face and stomach)

Now, if it’s hard to spot any of these symptoms, she probably isn’t suffering from an HGH deficiency.

And if that’s the case, all you have to focus on is increasing her HGH levels naturally (which we’ll get into starting next chapter).

But if any of these symptoms are noticeable, consult a pediatrician, and he will likely recommend your child to:

Receive a Growth Hormone Stimulation Test

Resort to an HGH treatment.

In Chapter 9, I’m going to tackle Growth Hormone Deficiencies much more in-depth.

➍

How Do You Know If Your Child Has Too Much HGH?

On the flipside, there is a chance that your child might have too much HGH in her body.

(This condition is called Acromegaly)

Here’s a 22-year-old patient who has abnormally high HGH levels, standing on the left side of her identical twin!

Source: University of Texas via nejm.org | Authors: Robert F Gagel, MD; Ian E McCutcheon, MD

Besides being extremely tall, here are other symptoms of acromegaly [17]:

Enlarged bones in the face, hands, and feet

Excessive growth spurts

Weight gain

A hoarse, deep voice

Thickened skin

If your child has this condition, you should aim to REDUCE her HGH levels at all costs.

So if you notice any of the symptoms I listed above, make sure to speak to a pediatrician for acromegaly treatment options.

In Chapter 10, I’ll cover Acromegaly in much more detail.

➎

How Can You Optimize Your Child’s HGH Levels for Maximum Growth?

Assuming that your child’s HGH is in the normal range, it’s time to get to the meat of the sandwich:

How can your child increase her natural HGH levels for maximum height growth?

There are a few important factors that you need to optimize to increase HGH naturally.

By optimizing 2 major aspects of her life:

Nutrition and sleep.

And that is what the next two chapters are going to be all about.

(Trust me, it’s going to be more than “drink milk” or “get lots of sleep” 🙂)

Boosting HGH for Maximum Growth: Key Takeaways

Bottom line: HGH is responsible for lengthening your child’s bones
If you want your child to increase her HGH safely, she needs to increase her Natural HGH (not Synthetic HGH)

Natural HGH is the hormone that your body produces naturally

Synthetic HGH is artificially made, and is something that you injest externally

HOWEVER, if she lacks HGH severely, the doctor or pediatrician may recommend using Synthetic HGH

You can tell if your child lacks HGH if she is growing very slowly or shows other signs (in Chapter 9, we’ll cover HGH deficiency more deeply)

On the flipside, if your child has too much HGH, she’ll grow abnormally fast, and show other symptoms (in Chapter 10, we’ll look at this condition in more depth)

In the next two chapters, we’ll discuss ways your child can increase her HGH naturally for maximum growth

Chapter 4: Essential Nutrients to Maximize Growth

Chapter 4

5 Essential Nutrients to Maximize Bone Growth

kid eating food

If you had to pick just ONE CHAPTER to read in this guide, it would be this one.

In fact, a study has shown that nutrition is the MOST important non-genetic factor that contributes to your child’s growth [8].

And if improving nutrition helped the entire Japanese population grow taller by 3 inches [6], it will help your child grow taller as well.

So the question is:

How can you optimize your child’s diet for maximum growth?

By feeding him foods that are scientifically-proven to maximize his growth.

And in this section, I will show you:

Which nutrients are the most important for bone growth

Which foods contain the MOST of these height maximizing nutrients, and

How much of each nutrient your child needs to consume every day

Let’s dive right in.

5 Height Maximizing Nutrients for Your Child

There’s a flood of information online about which nutrients are the most important for lengthening your bones.

But luckily for you, I’ve done the hard work by putting together information from 100s of scientific articles, and compiling the MOST important nutrients your child needs to maximize his height.

And from my findings, there are 5 main nutrients your child needs to consume if he wants to maximize his bone length.

Here’s an overview of the 5 nutrients and their roles:

➊ Amino Acids – Increases HGH, which signals your bones to grow longer

➋ Protein – Contains Amino Acids, and builds Collagen (1 of 2 main building blocks of your bones)

➌ Vitamin C – Also builds Collagen

➍ Calcium – The other building block of your bones (alongside Collagen)

➎ Vitamin D3 – Helps your bones absorb Calcium

In this section, I’ll briefly explain why each nutrient is important for growth, and lists of foods that contain the MOST of each nutrient.

And at the end of the chapter: I’ll give you a COMPLETE chart with all of these foods.

Keep reading.

Height Maximizing Nutrient #1: Amino Acids

This is the most important nutrient your child needs to grow taller.

Why?

Because Amino Acids increase your HGH levels.

To recap: HGH is what signals your bones to grow in length [18].

That’s why it is critical that your child maintains high levels of HGH.

Now, there are 5 Amino Acids that increase your HGH [19, 20, 21]:

L-Ornithine, L-Arginine, L-Lysine, L-Glutamine, and L-Glycine

Don’t worry, you DON’T need to memorize these Amino Acids.

Because I’ve already found foods that are high in one or a combination of these Amino Acids.

Here are the best sources of the 5 Amino Acids (for maximum HGH):

Top 10 Sources of Amino Acids:

Grassfed Meats (Beef or Chicken)

Eggs

Flava Beans

Golgi Berries

Pineapple

Watermelon

Coconut Oil

Nuts

Raw Chocolate

Yogurt

To learn more about the best sources of Amino Acids, check out this article on Medicalopedia:

10 Foods That Increase Human Growth Hormone

Height Maximizing Nutrient #2: Protein

Before I explain why Protein is important, let’s quickly look at what your bones are made up of.

Your bones need 2 materials to grow longer: Collagen and Calcium [22]

And since collagen is a Protein itself, your child needs to consume enough Proteins to build healthy bones.

But here is the best part:

Foods that are rich in Proteins usually contain Amino Acids that increase your HGH!

So by consuming Protein-rich foods, your child can simultaneously increase his HGH, while feeding his bones with the nutrients that they need.

(In other words, you can kill 2 birds with 1 stone)

So without further ado, here are the best sources of Protein (for your child’s bones):

Top 10 Sources of Proteins:

Tuna

Chicken Breast

Fish

Steak

Tofu

Pumpkin Seeds

Cottage Cheese

Yogurt

Almonds

Quinoa

To learn more about the best sources of Proteins, check out this article written by Monica Lam-Feist from AlgaeCal:

Everything You Need to Know About Protein and Bone Health

Height Maximizing Nutrient #3: Vitamin C

Besides Protein, your bones also need Vitamin C to manufacture collagen in your bones.

Simply put: Protein is the building block of the collagen, while Vitamin C is the material that holds the collagen together.

And without enough Vitamin C, the collagens in your child’s bones will become weaker, which will disrupt proper bone growth.

So without further ado, here are the best sources of Vitamin C:

Top 10 Sources of Vitamin C:

Strawberries

Pineapple

Kiwi

Mango

Papaya

Red Pepper

Kale

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Brussel Sprouts

To learn more about the best sources of Vitamin C, check out this slideshow made by Christine Mattheis:

12 Foods With More Vitamin C Than Oranges

Height Maximizing Nutrient #4: Calcium

This is probably not a surprise to you.

In fact, I remember being nagged by my mom EVERY DAY to drink milk.

But it turns out she was onto something:

Calcium (along with collagen) is the foundational building block of your bones.

And fortunately for your child, there are MANY sources of Calcium.

Here they are:

Top 10 Sources of Calcium:

Seeds

Cheese

Yogurt

Salmon

Beans

Almonds

Leafy Greens

Cereal

Tofu

Milk (Soy, Almond, or Cow’s)

To learn more foods that are high in Calcium, check out this article on Healthline:

Top 15 Calcium-Rich Foods (Many Are Non-Dairy)

Height Maximizing Nutrient #5: Vitamin D3

Vitamin D3 is another important nutrient for your bones, since it allows your to absorb Calcium.

In other words, your bones CANNOT use Calcium without enough Vitamin D3 in your body.

But just like Amino Acids and Protein, many foods that contain lots of Calcium are also rich in Vitamin D3.

So here are the best sources of Vitamin D3:

Top 10 Sources of Vitamin D3:

Milk (Soy or Cow’s)

Cereal

Orange Juice

Mushrooms

Eggs

Salmon

Tuna

Oysters

Shrimps

Sunlight (yes, this isn’t really food, but it’s the BEST source of Vitamin D3 on earth)

To learn more about foods that are rich in Vitamin D3 (and Calcium), check out this article on Healthline:

Top Foods for Calcium and Vitamin D3

The BEST Height Maximizing Foods (Complete Chart)

Here is a complete chart of foods that are rich in each of the 5 nutrients.

(You’ll notice that many of these foods overlap)

Amino Acids	Protein	Vitamin C	Calcium	Vitamin D3
Grassfed Meats	Tuna	Strawberries	Seeds	Milk
Eggs	Chicken Breast	Pineapple	Cheese	Cereal
Flava Beans	Fish	Kiwi	Yogurt	Orange Juice
Golgi Berries	Steak	Mango	Salmon	Mushrooms
Pineapple	Tofu	Papaya	Beans	Eggs
Watermelon	Pumpkin Seeds	Red Pepper	Almonds	Salmon
Coconut Oil	Cottage Cheese	Kale	Leafy Greens	Tuna
Nuts	Yogurt	Broccoli	Cereal	Oysters
Raw Chocolate	Almonds	Cauliflower	Tofu	Shrimps
Yogurt	Quinoa	Brussel Sprouts	Milk	☀️ Sunlight ☀️

Amino Acids
Grassfed Meats
Eggs
Flava Beans
Golgi Berries
Pineapple
Watermelon
Coconut Oil
Nuts
Raw Chocolate
Yogurt

Protein
Tuna
Chicken Breast
Fish
Steak
Tofu
Pumpkin Seeds
Cottage Cheese
Yogurt
Almonds
Quinoa

Vitamin C
Strawberries
Pineapple
Kiwi
Mango
Papaya
Red Pepper
Kale
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Brussel Sprouts

Calcium
Seeds
Cheese
Yogurt
Salmon
Beans
Almonds
Leafy Greens
Cereal
Tofu
Milk

Vitamin D3
Milk
Cereal
Orange Juice
Mushrooms
Eggs
Salmon
Tuna
Oysters
Shrimps
☀️ Sunlight ☀️

Now, your child DOESN’T need to eat EVERYTHING on this list.

Just ask your child which foods he likes best, and make sure he eats them regularly.

Remember: Consistency is key.

How Much of Each Nutrient Does Your Child Need Each Day?

At this point, you’re probably wondering:

How much of each nutrient does my child need to consume every day?

Since everyone’s body is different, I can’t give you an exact amount to aim for.

And the good news is that you DON’T even need to nail your nutrition intake to the tee.

But if you want to go the extra mile, I’ve gathered some useful resources for you.

Optimal Daily Intake of Amino Acids and Protein

Since many Protein-rich foods contain Amino Acids that increase HGH, feeding your child with enough Protein every day will optimize his HGH levels [23].

Here is a calculator you can use to track how much Protein (and fats, carbs, and calories) your child needs every day.

Optimal Daily Intake of Vitamin C and Calcium

Here is how much Calcium and Vitamin C your child needs to consume each day [24, 25]:

Age	Vitamin C	Calcium
0~6 Months	40 mg	200 mg
7~12 Months	50 mg	260 mg
1~3 Years	15 mg	700 mg
4~8 Years	25 mg	1,000 mg
9~13 Years	45 mg	1,300 mg
14~18 Years	65 mg for girls 75 mg for boys	1,300 mg
>19 Years	75 mg for girls 90 mg for boys	1,000 mg

Age	Vitamin C
0~6 Months	40 mg
7~12 Months	50 mg
1~3 Years	15 mg
4~8 Years	25 mg
9~13 Years	45 mg
14~18 Years	65 mg for girls 75 mg for boys
>19 Years	75 mg for girls 90 mg for boys

Age	Calcium
0~6 Months	200 mg
7~12 Months	260 mg
1~3 Years	700 mg
4~8 Years	1,000 mg
9~13 Years	1,300 mg
14~18 Years	1,300 mg
>19 Years	1,000 mg

Remember: there’s no need to follow this chart right on the dot.

As long as your child eats foods that are rich in these nutrients, he’ll be good.

Optimal Daily Intake of Vitamin D3

Your child needs to get at least 400 IU of Vitamin D3 per day [26].

However, children with certain conditions may need more (more on this in later).

Eating lots of Vitamin D3 foods, and enjoying 10 to 30 minute sunbathes are the best ways to get enough Vitamin D3 each day [26, 27].

Just make sure to avoid direct sunlight in the summer (between 10am to 4pm) [28].

Bonus Nutrition Tip: Minimize Sugar

Eating too much sugar can skyrocket his insulin beyond what’s healthy, which can decrease his HGH levels [29].

In other words, if your child consumes too much sugar, he won’t grow as much.

Now, there’s one problem:

Children LOVE sugar.

In fact, when I was a kid, I LOVED snacking on candies and chocolate all day.

(I’m sure you did too)

So how in the world can you convince your child to eat less sugar?

Check out this guide written by Karen Cicero from Parents.com:

How to Tame Your Kid’s Sweet Tooth in 30 Days

And later in this guide, we’ll go over several ways to encourage your child to take all the right actions.

Height Maximizing Nutrition: Key Takeaways

Nutrition is the most important non-genetic factor when it comes to your child’s growth [8]

There are 5 main nutrients that can maximize your child’s height:

➊ Amino Acids – Increase HGH, which signals your bones to grow in length

➋ Proteins – Builds Collagen, a building block of your bones

➌ Vitamin C – Builds Collagen, a building block of your bones

➍ Calcium – The other building block of your bones

➎ Vitamin D3 – Helps your bones absorb Calcium

You DON’T need to keep precise track of how much of each nutrient your child consumes

As long as he eats a balanced diet with foods from each column, he’ll condition his body for maximum growth

Encourage your child to eat less sugar

Chapter 5: Optimize Sleep for Maximum Growth

Chapter 5

Optimize Sleep for Maximum Growth

Up to 75% of HGH is produced during sleep deep sleep [30].

So if your child wants to boost her HGH levels for maximum growth, not only does she need to sleep a lot…

…but she needs to get enough deep sleep every night [31].

So how can your child sleep deeper than a Koala?

By incorporating 6 Height Maximizing Sleep Tips.

And that’s what this chapter is going to cover.

Let’s get started.

Height Maximizing Sleep Tip #1: Sleep Before 10pm

How much sleep your child gets every night will directly impact how long her bones grow.

But there is another thing about sleep that you must keep in mind:

It’s just as important to go to sleep at the right time.

So when is the best time to go to sleep?

Aim to get your child in bed before 10pm.

Now, why is this so important?

Because your growth hormone levels peak between 10pm and 2am [32, 33].

Source: healthline.com | Author: Rudy Mawer, MS, CISSN

Now, let’s face the REAL challenge.

If your child is in her teenage years (or close to it), it’s going to be a battle to get her to sleep before 10am.

So how can you convince your child to sleep that early?

Simple: Show her this graph!

If your child knows that sleeping during these hours will make or break her height, she’ll be much more motivated to sleep earlier.

And throughout this chapter, I’ll show you scientifically-proven strategies that will help her sleep earlier and more deeply.

Keep reading.

Height Maximizing Sleep Tip #2: Wake Up Without An Alarm

The best way to get lots of deep sleep is to get enough sleep to begin with.

So how many hours of sleep does your child need every night?

It depends.

Many experts say that you need at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep.

But in reality, we all need different amounts of sleep, depending on:

Our age

Our lifestyle

Amount of sleep we’ve gotten in the days before, and

Amount of physical activity throughout the day

Thus, sticking to conventional tips like “sleep 8 hours a day” is a recipe for poor sleep.

So how do you know how much sleep your child needs for maximum height growth?

By letting her wake up naturally (without an alarm clock).

When she wakes up without any alarm, it shows that her body is fully rested and doesn’t need any more sleep.

So if you want to ensure that your child gets enough sleep every night, make sure she wakes up when she wants to.

(And if you don’t want her to be late for school, make sure to follow Tip #1 as well)

Height Maximizing Sleep Tip #3: Optimize Your Child’s Sleeping Posture

Sleeping in a comfortable position is not only important for getting deep sleep…

…it will also help your child maintain a taller posture (more on this later).

So what is the best sleeping position for proper growth?

There are 2 rules for sleeping in the optimal position:

➊ Lying on your back, with your arms straight by your sides [34]

➋ Sleeping without a pillow [35]

sleep without a pillow for better posture

Source: cozzy.org | Author: Maria

This will ensure that your child’s spine will be in its neutral position, and her head, neck, and spine will all be properly aligned, which is critical for growing properly.

So how can you get your child to sleep on her back, WITHOUT a pillow?

Here is a step-by-step method your child can follow to optimize her sleeping position:

Steps to Optimizing Sleep Position for Proper Growth:

1. If your child is a side or stomach-sleeper, encourage your child to start sleeping on her back.

2. Once she feels comfortable sleeping on her back, get her a thinner pillow.

3. Allow her to sleep on this new pillow until she’s fully comfortable.

4. After getting used to her thinner pillow, reduce her pillow size further.

5. Repeat steps #3 and #4 as many times as necessary, until your child can sleep without a pillow.

Now, there is one important point I need to mention.

For your child to sleep without a pillow, she must become a back-sleeper first.

Because if your child is a side-sleeper, a pillow will keep her spine in a neutral position [36].

Bottom line?

By following the above 5 steps in order, your child can optimize her sleeping position safely, and maximize her growth.

Height Maximizing Sleep Tip #4: Sleep on a Medium-Firm Mattress

Another strategy to maintain an optimal posture (for deeper sleep) is to sleep on a medium-firm surface.

Studies have shown that medium-firm mattresses keep your spine in proper alignment, and also reduce lower-back pain [37, 38].

And this makes sense.

If your child’s mattress is too soft, her body will sink too deeply into the mattress, bringing her spine out of alignment.

On the other hand, super-hard mattresses can be uncomfortable for your child.

So how can you find out which mattress-firmness is best for your child?

Here is a step-by-step process of finding a mattress with the right firmness:

Steps to Finding a Height Maximizing Mattress:

1. Bring your child to a mattress store of your choice.

2. Get her to lie down on mattresses with different firmness levels, so she can get an idea of what makes her feel comfortable.

3. Ask her to pick the mattress that feels firm, but also makes her feel comfortable.

4. Install the mattress in her bed frame, and get her to sleep on it for a few days.

5. If she feels comfortable, she should stick with it. If not, repeat steps 1 to 4.

Remember: aim for comfort first, firmness second.

Height Maximizing Sleep Tip #5: Optimize Her Sleep Environment

Remember: No pillows allowed 🙂

So far, we talked about when and how long your child needs to sleep.

But there is one more aspect of sleep that you cannot ignore:

Sleeping in an optimal environment.

If you want your child to get enough deep sleep, she must sleep in a room that promotes full relaxation, and get rid of all distractions at night.

Here are steps you can take to optimize her bedroom [39, 40, 41, 42]:

Steps to Creating a Height Maximizing Sleep Environment:

1. Find the optimal room temperature for your child. Aim for 60 to 70 °F (16 to 21 °C), but remember: comfort over everything!

2. Keep her room door closed to minimize noise that enters her room

3. Keep her room pitch black (no night lights)

4. Get your child to sleep with her socks on (warm feet improves sleep quality)

5. Encourage your child to keep her phone on airplane mode before sleeping (this will prevent wifi signals from intruding her room)

6. Remove all electrical plugs in her room (easiest way to do this is to plug all her wires into a single extension cord, and unplugging the extension chord at night)

Depending on how rebellious your child is, the last 2 tips may be a challenge to pull off.

But make sure to follow through with the first 3 tips as much as possible.

Height Maximizing Sleep Tip #6: Prepare for Bed like a True Height Maximizer

Besides optimizing her sleep environment, it’s also important that she does the right things BEFORE sleeping.

Specifically, she’ll want to do the right things during the day, and within 3 to 4 hours before bed.

And in this section, I’ll show you steps she can take during the day, and before bed.

Here they are [40, 43, 44]:

Daily Rituals for Maximum Night Height Gains:

Avoid caffeine (your child shouldn’t consume caffeine if she’s younger than 18)

Get enough sunlight (sunlight helps you produce melatonin at night, which makes you sleepy)

Part take in physical activities (this will make her tired, making it much easier to go to sleep before 10pm)

Pre-Bed Rituals for Maximum Night Height Gains:

Avoid eating any heavy meals near bedtime

Avoid any hardcore exercises (she should do them earlier during the day)

Avoid drinking too much water late at night

Minimize light exposure before bed

Eliminate stressful activities before bed

Optimizing Sleep for Maximum Growth: Key Takeaways

Sleep before 10pm

Let your child wake up naturally without an alarm clock

Encourage your child to sleep straight on her back, without a pillow

Find a comfortable, medium-firm mattress for your child

Optimize your child’s sleep environment (most important factors: temperature, no noise, no light)

Prepare your child to sleep deeply before bed:

During the day: Sunlight, exercise, no caffeine

Before bed: No heavy meals, no hardcore exercises, minimum light, minimum water, minimum stress

Chapter 6: Correct Posture for Proper Growth

Chapter 6

Correct Posture for Proper Growth

I have some shocking news:

There’s no evidence that maintaining a good posture helps your bones grow longer.

So why is this chapter even here??

Because fixing your child’s posture can:

1. Make him taller (instantly), and

2. Help him develop a strong and stable body structure

So in this chapter, I’ll briefly explain how correcting your child’s posture can do each of these two things.

And afterwards, you’ll learn the exact steps your child can take to optimize his posture (for maximum height AND body strength).

How Fixing Your Child’s Posture Make Him Taller (Instantly)

Here is a picture that shows how much your child’s posture can affect his height:

As you can see, the twin on the left appears much taller, EVEN if the length of all their limbs are exactly the same.

And by fixing his posture, your child can gain an inch instantly (depending on how bad his current posture is).

The best part?

Fixing your child’s posture won’t only help him appear taller, but will actually increase his spine length over time [45].

In part 2, I’ll explain how this is even possible.

But for now, know that your child can gain a freebie inch by fixing his posture alone.

How Fixing Posture Can Make Your Child Stronger

Take a look at these 2 jenga towers:

As you can see, their height is more or less the same.

But if my child was a jenga tower, I’d want him to look like the left tower.

Why?

Because the left tower is stronger and more stable.

Even though each tower contains the same number of blocks (and are similar in height), the left tower is much more stable, because its blocks are properly aligned.

And these two towers are analogous to your child’s posture.

If your child maintains a poor posture, his bones will become misaligned (like the right tower), which can cause him to develop problems in his bones and joints.

Poor Alignment = Bad Posture

But if he can maintain a proper posture, his bones will grow in the proper direction, which will condition his body to become strong and stable as the left tower.

Proper Alignment = Good Posture

Bottom line?

Not only can fixing posture make your child taller instantly, but it will be the difference between having a strong and a weak body.

And in this chapter, I’ll show you how your child can optimize his posture to become taller AND stronger.

Proper Spine Alignment

Before we get into the postural techniques, let’s quickly look at what a healthy spine looks like:

Source: sequencewiz.org | Author: Olga Kabel

As you can see, the spine is slightly curved (but not too much).

So when your child is standing, sitting, or even lying down, this is how you want his spine to look.

So without further ado, let’s get into our first postural technique:

Postural Technique #1: Optimize Your Child’s Sitting Posture

This is the most important postural technique to implement.

Because let’s face it: no matter how active your child is, he’s going to spend a good chunk of the day sitting.

So it’s important that your child sits in a proper position.

Here is a step-by-step process of optimizing your child’s sitting posture [46]:

6 Steps to Maintaining a Correct Sitting Posture:

1. Find a comfortable chair for your child (ideally it should have an adjustable height with arm rests)

2. Get him to rest his buttocks and shoulders on the back of the chair

3. To keep his head in proper alignment, his chin should point downwards (this will pop his chest out and put his spine in its neutral position)

4. To relax his shoulders further, get him to rest his elbows on the arm rests (the angle at his elbows should be at 90° to 120°)

5. Adjust the chair height so that both of his feet are flat on the ground (the angle at his knees should be 90° to 120°)

6. If your child is sitting in front of a computer, make sure the top of the monitor is 18 to 24″ away from his eyes.

Note: The chair and desk height should be adjusted to your child’s sitting height

Postural Technique #2: Minimize Sitting Time

So after explaining how to sit properly, you’re telling me to avoid sitting?!

Yes I am.

No matter how much your child fixes his sitting posture, it doesn’t mean that he can sit all day without any problems.

Not only does sitting for too long bring your posture out of proper alignment, but sitting has been proven to cause serious health problems [47].

So how can you help your child sit less during the day?

I personally rely on 2 strategies to get up more frequently:

➊

Combat Sitting by Using a Pomodoro Timer

Your child probably won’t remember on to get up regularly on his own.

But by installing a timer that goes off regularly, your child can easily remember to get up and walk around.

I use a free app called Awareness, but there are a TON of other Pomodoro timers you can pick from.

➋

Combat Sitting by Lying on the Tummy

If a timer doesn’t get your child up often enough, there is an easier solution:

Get your child to lie down on his stomach.

This will take a lot of load off of his spine, and also stretch out his back, which can help to neutralize his spinal alignment [48].

With that, here is another way to get your child to sit less:

➌

Combat Sitting by Using a Standing Desk

This is one of the best ways to sit less throughout the day.

Not only can standing desks help your child keep a better posture, but it can bring about many health benefits as well [49].

But remember, if you want your child to start using a standing desk, gradual change is key.

When first using a standing desk, he should start by using it for 30 to 60 minutes per day, and work his way up as he gets more comfortable [50].

Speaking of standing, here is my next postural technique:

Postural Technique #3: Optimize Your Child’s Standing Posture

When it comes to your child’s standing posture, there’s one more thing to consider (besides spine curvature):

He has to align his head, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles

In other words, this is how you want your child’s posture to look:

Source: artofmanliness.com | Authors: Brett and Kate McKay

Now, this posture isn’t hard to mimic.

But the REAL challenge is maintaining it.

So how can your child remember to maintain this posture regularly?

Here’s a simple 3-step process to optimize your child’s standing posture

3 Steps to Maintaining a Correct Standing Posture:

1. Get your child to stand against the wall

2. The back of his feet, buttocks, shoulder blades, and head should all be touching the wall.

3. To align his head properly, get your child to tuck in his chin while looking straight (this will pop his chest out and put his spine in its neutral position)

If your child slouches often, this should help straighten out his posture.

And in the next chapter, I’ll show you the BEST exercises your child can do to easily maintain his new posture.

Postural Technique #4: Use a Posture Corrector

This is my favorite postural technique by far.

A posture corrector makes all the techniques we just went through, 10x easier.

By wearing a posture corrector throughout the day, your child won’t need to constantly remind himself to keep a straight posture, because the strap will remind him to do so.

Once you wear this thing, it forces you to maintain a good posture, because slouching puts pressure on your shoulders, which reminds you to stand or sit tall every time you do slouch.

Now, I’ve tried many different ones, but the posture corrector made by Selbite feels the most comfortable for me.

But you can search posture corrector on Amazon, and find very cheap ones for under $20.

Postural Technique #5: Help Your Child Feel Happy and Confident

Maintaining a good posture goes beyond becoming taller or stronger.

In fact, having your chest out can boost your confidence, and make you feel better (instantly) [51].

But here is anothing thing about confidence you’ve probably never heard about:

Feeling confident can improve your posture as well!

In one of Tony Robbins’s seminars, Tony helped a man go from depressed to confident in a matter of seconds.

The result?

The man’s chest popped out, which instantly fixed his posture.

You can check the video out here:

And if your child feels more happy and confident on a regular basis, his chest will pop out too, which will make it much easier for him to maintain his optimal posture.

Stay tuned, because in the Bonus Chapter, we’ll talk about some strategies to make your child more happy and confident.

Correct Posture for Proper Growth: Key Takeaways

Maintaining a proper posture will:

Increase your child’s height (instantly), and

Keep your child’s bones properly aligned, which is important for developing a strong and stable body structure

Here are 5 ways to maintain a proper posture:

➊ Get your child to maintain a proper sitting posture

➋ Minimize his sitting time by using a timer, line down on his stomach, or working on a standing desk

➌ To maintain a proper standing posture, get your child to align his body against the wall

➍ Get him a posture corrector

➎ Make him feel happier and more confident will help him pop out his chest, which will optimize his posture

In Chapter 7, I’ll show you exercises to further optimize his posture
In Chapter 9, I’ll show you how he can deal with any postural abnormalities (if he suffers from them)

What Are Your Thoughts So Far?

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Congratulations!

You’re officially one-half of the way through this guide.

But before you move onto the second half, I’d like to know what’s on your mind right now.

Specifically, which tip are you most eager to start implementing?

Are you excited to start measuring your child’s height?

Are you thinking about ordering a posture corrector on Amazon?

Or maybe, you already printed out the food chart from chapter 4.

Either way, let me know by leaving me a comment below!

And afterwards, check out part 2 of my guide.

Go to Part 2 →

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