At some point in your life, you may have thought to yourself, “I wonder if there is anything I can do to make myself taller?”  Running and exercise can have great benefits for your body and overall health, but does it also have some benefits that are not as well known.  While being tall is highly dependent on your genetics, does running actually make you taller?

Implementing running into your life can actually make you taller but in certain ways that you may not have thought of.  Being tall is highly dependent on your genetics, however, by adopting a running lifestyle it will force you to implement positive changes such as better posture, improved nutrition, frequent exercise, and more sleep into your life.  All of these factors will help you grow and appear taller.

Let’s take a look at 5 ways running can make you taller and 4 harmful things to avoid if you want to grow taller!

5 Ways Running Can Make You Taller

1. Proper Posture

Posture is one of the most important things that make you taller and also appear taller. Whether you are at school or at work, sitting all day can negatively affect your posture.  Constantly hunching over looking at your computer screen or your phone can cause you to get a hunchback. If you do this over time your body will begin to think there are stresses on it and will actually cause your body to build muscle while you’re in this position. These muscles are not the kind you want because they will make your hunched body position permanent.  This slouching behavior can cause you to appear a couple inches shorter than you really are. 

Therefore, by implementing running into your lifestyle, it will force you to have better posture by standing up straight and pushing your chest out.  Additionally, running helps build muscles in your upper body, which can help counteract the negative muscles built up by slouching. Running can make you taller by improving your posture to an upright and strong position.

2. Good Nutrition

Studies have shown that nutrition is one of the most important factors in growing taller.  While running might not directly make you taller, eating like a runner can make you taller. Although runners typically are known to be skinny, most actually eat a lot because of all the calories that they burn during their workouts. This constant cycle of working out and then eating helps build stronger muscles, bones, and joints.  Additionally, adopting a running lifestyle influences you into eating healthier and more nutritious food. When trying to decide between eating at a fast food restaurant or cooking a healthy meal at home try to opt for the healthier option. Not only will this make you feel better on your next run, but it’ll also give you the essential nutrients to grow taller.

3. Good Night’s Sleep

Along with nutrition, sleep is another extremely important factor in growing taller. You might be thinking to yourself how does running help with sleeping?  Well, studies actually show that doing a running workout does improve sleep quality because it tires your body out and actually helps you have a better night of sleep. Additionally, after doing a running workout your muscles will need to sleep to be able to recover and grow stronger.  By adopting a running lifestyle, you will feel more enthusiastic to get a better night’s sleep because you know that you will need it if you want to have a great workout the next day. Depending on your age, the typical asleep that you should aim for is between 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep will not only prepare you for your next workout but will also help you grow taller.

4. Working Muscles

Running has many great benefits for your body and muscles, and also has one benefit that you may not be thinking of.  When working out muscles actually expand and contract. With the right nutrients and recovery your muscles would grow stronger and can even grow in length.  This is especially true when you’re working out your back, core, and leg muscles.  Running is a full body workout and builds muscles in all of these areas. If you imagine someone with zero muscles, what do you think their body would do?  Most likely their body will lean or fall over because there is nothing to hold the bones up. Therefore, by strengthening your muscles you can actually slightly elongate them because you will have more strength to flex and straighten your muscles.  A good exercise to test this out is to stand up and relax all your back muscles.  Then try to stand up straight and flex your back muscles. You should notice that you look at least a couple inches taller when you’re standing up straight flexing your back muscles.  Running helps with this because you’re constantly in this upright position and building muscles throughout your body to help support this healthy posture. 

5. Healthy Exercise

Running and exercise are great ways to help you grow taller.  This is because growth hormones are actually released when you exercise and strengthen your muscles.  These growth hormones are important when trying to grow taller because it activates your growth plates which helps build cartilage.  This cartilage helps you grow taller and over time it will turn into solid bone. Therefore, it is important to implement consistent running and exercise into your life not only to become healthier but also to grow to the height you’ve always wanted to be!

4 Harmful Things To Avoid If You Want To Grow Taller

1. Extreme Exercise

Although we discussed exercise as being a very important factor if you want to become taller, it is also important to remember not to overdo it.  Extreme exercise can actually damage your growth plates and cause your body to release less growth hormones. This is because if you strain your body too much, it will naturally do everything it can to compensate for the strain.  In these strenuous times, your body will use growth hormones to help you recover rather than help you grow cartilage and height. This is especially important to remember if you are of a young age because this is when most of your growing occurs.  Therefore, if you are of a young age or have children remember that extreme exercise may not be good for yours or their health. Children and teens have plenty of time to achieve great things in sports but this can only be done if their training done cautiously.

2. Smoking

One of the worst things you could do to your body is to smoke. Not only will this make running extremely difficult, but it is also known to cause lung cancer and many other horrible diseases. Additionally, if you want to grow taller smoking is proven to actually decrease your height. This is because smoking causes harmful chemicals and toxins to enter the body. These chemicals drain your body of important nutrients and growth hormones that are necessary to grow taller. Therefore, to protect your health and future height avoid smoking at all costs. 

3. Bad Nutrition

As we discussed previously, nutrition is extremely important if you want to grow taller.  Having a bad nutrition can rob your body of important nutrients necessary for growing taller.  You need these nutrients to help your body recover your muscles from workouts while also giving your body additional nutrients growth building.  Therefore, make sure to maintain a good nutritious lifestyle while avoiding sugary and processed foods.

4. Stress and Anxiety

After doing some research, I found a study that stated stress and anxiety can lead to a disruption in long-bone growth.  This has serious effects your growth hormones and cause your body not to produce as much as it naturally should be. Therefore, it is important to try to minimize your stress and anxiety in your life. Running and exercise are great solutions and helping reduce your stress and anxiety.  Running actually releases “feel-good” hormones or endorphins which help reduce pain, anxiety, and stress. Not only can running cause your body to release feel-good hormones, but it can also help with your confidence. After completing a hard run or workout you will feel like you could conquer the world.  Therefore, running can help increase your confidence which will help you maintain your stress and anxiety.

Verdict

YES, running can actually make you taller and appear taller!  By adopting a running lifestyle, it will force you to partake in many positive growth practices such as improving your posture, having a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, and exercising.  These are all important factors that help promote growth due to the release of growth hormones and cartilage growth that will eventually turn into longer bones. As long as you are careful not to exercise too extremely, this running lifestyle will not only help you become healthier but will also help you grow taller!

Disclaimer

This is not professional healthcare advice and should only be used for educational purposes.  For serious and personal health questions, make sure to contact a healthcare professional.