Ranveer had no proper guide for fitness when he was growing up and he is absolutely ready to share tips with kids in this digital age so there’s no dearth of resources for them. The physical growth of your body is significant in terms of height and body aesthetics since they remain like that for most of your adult life.

So, here are some tips for teenagers if they need to choose to go to the gym.

How does the human body grow taller?

There are two factors contributing to your growing height, the first being elevated levels of human growth hormones (HGH). Boys especially have HGH and testosterone, which help them build more muscles than an average adult.

The second being epiphyseal growth plates. These growth plates are found at the tip of your bones and the cells multiply making it look like the plates pile on one another like bricks making your bones elongate. Under normal circumstances, the growth of the epiphyseal plates depends on your genetics and the relative height between your parents.

A 5’ 6’’ man is equivalent to a 5’ woman and 5’ 8’’ man is equivalent to a 5’ 2’’ woman. By genetics, you will grow almost as tall as your relatively taller parent.

Hence, even if you are genetically prone to be shorter, there is a certain growth range you can still increase your height with certain lifestyle changes.

Factor 1: Sleep and rest

One of the most important factors that cannot be stressed enough is having 8-9 hours of sleep every single night. Every minuscule task like climbing a flight of stairs or walking accumulates to microdamage to the muscle. The body releases HGH for the overall recovery of muscles when you are asleep. At the same time, it also increases your height. It also depends on the quality of sleep. Sleeping for longer but not deep enough is also pointless for HGH.

Factor 2: Physical activity

Your height, overall fat percentage, muscle mass, nervous system performance, immunity, and aging process depends on your physical activity. Your teenage body is built to be exerted by the overcompensation principle. For instance, if you lift a 5 kg dumbbell, your body will repair itself in a way that you would be able to lift a stronger load in the near future.

With a proper sleep cycle, your muscles will be strengthened further. Hence, a lot of sports stars you see on TV broke their genetic limits and are way taller than their parents.

3 ways to increase physical activities are:

1] Simply running or pakada pakadi is better than nothing. Playing a sport is the best.

2] Weight training, unlike popular misinformed opinion, does not stunt your height. In fact, it is great for growing height.

3] Cardio + weight training is optimal in the long term for height growth.

Factor 3: Nutrition

Avoid Ketogenic diets at all costs. No research has been done for the long term so it is not recommended. Avoid low-calorie diets unless you are obese. If you are obese, try basic changes in diets like quitting sugar, sugary drinks, and junk food. High protein diets are a great option that hasn’t been very evident in the Indian culture but modern-day science says otherwise.

Quick rule: Eat 1 gram protein per kg of body weight. Do not cut off carbs. Eat clean carbs in each of three meals of the day, like a bowl of rice or a serving of rotis.

Factor 4: Psychological

Teenage can be a difficult time because your hormones are all over the place, You can be very moody and it is not your fault. Stress from parents and peers can sit in your head and can ruin your mood. Stress can affect your long-term health and height. One tangible solution to that is meditation. Learn the basics of meditation as a teenager. You will start to feel happier than you ever thought you would.

All in all, a few changes in the lifestyle can create a whole different you in the future. With a throwaway amount of access to resources, teenagers should start young with living a more fit and healthier life.