How to Increase Height at a Faster Rate

Increasing height in the bones and muscles may become more challenging after the window of growth in adolescence. This is usually around 16 years old for females and up to 25 years for males, although these numbers vary based on each individual. Growth plates in the bone typically fuse from age 16 up to the late 20's, and after this time growth may be impossible. To ensure adequate growth and height potential in adolescence, it is important to incorporate the right vitamins, minerals and exercise programs to help provide nutrients and stress to the bones to increase growth hormone and promote proper growth.

Things You'll Need

• Natural multivitamin
• Dark, leafy green vegetables
• Sardines
• Seeds
• Yoga mat

Increase Nutritional Intake for Proper Growth

1. Take a natural multivitamin every morning to ensure intake of any nutrients that might be lacking in your daily diet. It is important to combine this approach with a healthy diet to still supply the body with adequate fats and proteins needed for growth.

2. Eat sardines to take in a good source of absorbable calcium and vitamin D. A can of sardines contains as much or more calcium than cow's milk, and also provides natural vitamin D, which helps promote calcium absorption. Sardines contain a good amount of omega-3 fatty acids and protein, both of which are required for proper growth and functioning throughout the body.

3. Increase your intake of seeds, particularly pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. These provide zinc, an important micro-mineral needed for growth and repair. According to the Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, zinc can improve stature in children with growth hormone imbalances. Other food sources include oysters and lamb.

4. Eat six or more servings of green, leafy vegetables every day. This will usually provide necessary daily intakes for calcium, vitamin C and vitamin A. These vitamins are important for bone building and collagen synthesis. It should also provide the daily recommended value for vitamin K, an important vitamin in bone growth.

Ensuring Proper Growth Through Exercise

1. Perform jumping exercises every other day to provide stress to the bones to promote growth. Simply jumping up and down will provide the appropriate amount of stress to keep bones healthy and strong, and to also increase heart rate, metabolism and human growth hormone.

2. Include various stretching activities after the jumping exercises to loosen the muscles. Stretching throughout the day, every day, will also promote a long, lean body.

3. Practice yoga, which utilizes stretching and balancing exercises. More dynamic stretching poses are introduced during a yoga practice, helping to sculpt a longer, leaner look to the body. It will also increase oxygen intake and decreases stress. Psychological stress may prevent proper functioning of human growth hormone in children, according to Donald Zimmerman of Children's Memorial Hospital, who expands on an article in the New England Journal of Medicine. Correction of the stressful environment, however, will reverse the growth problems and promote the growth of the child.