Five Quick Tips to Increase Your Height

It is a fact: most of us are dissatisfied with our height. Most of us wish we were taller - an inch, two inches, or even six inches. But it is also a fact of life that increasing your height once you've crossed your growing age is nearly impossible, sans surgery.

But at the same time, it is quite possible to look much taller than you actually are if you follow some certain rules:

1. The Wardrobe

Your clothing can have a significant effect on how tall you look. As a rule, vertical stripes help you look taller as well as leaner. Thus, by shirts and trousers with pinstripes. These are also very much in fashion these days.

Also, wear solid colors all over - preferably in darker shades. Light pants over dark shirts, or vice-versa, draw attention to your waist and legs, giving you a short, stodgy appearance. This is the reason why you'll rarely find shorter celebrities wearing light clothing.

2. The Shoes

It's pretty obvious: your shoes can add a significant inch or two to your height. Avoid shoes without any heels. The standard Converse Chucks have a sole that's just 0.45 inches thick, as compared to the 1.5 inch+ of the Nike Shox. It makes sense then, to wear shoes that help you look taller.

Another method to make yourself look taller is through height enhancing insoles. These fit right inside the shoe and can add an inch or two to your height, without being outwardly visible. You can also buy pre-made elevator shoes, although then you'll be limited to the designs that the shoe-company makes. To carry off insoles of over an inch, you'll require boots.

3. The Posture

Measure yourself first thing when you wake up in the morning. Then measure yourself before going to bed. You'll be surprised to find that in the morning, you're as much as an inch taller than in the evening.

This happens because due to gravity, the spine gets compressed, which leads to a decrease in height. If you have a bad posture (stooped shoulders, slouched back), the spinal column compresses even more, giving you an even shorter appearance.

Thus, one way to make yourself look taller is by maintaining a proper posture. This means that you should keep your back straight, your shoulders drawn back, and your head lifted. Believe me, by adopting such a "military stance", you'll not only appear taller, but also much more confident.

4. The Hair

Short hair can make your neck seem longer than it actually is. The distance between your shoulder and head is easier to make out if you have shorter hair, thereby helping you look taller. Longer hair, on the other hand, has the opposite effect.

So keeping your hair short is the ideal way to go if you're serious about looking tall.

5. The Attitude

This is easily the most important tip to appear taller: a positive attitude adds loads to your confidence, which invariably makes you appear taller, at least in the eyes of others. Often you'll find that the most confident person is a group appears stronger and taller than he actually is, giving him the halo of a leader. Height is, after all, as much a matter of perception as reality. Being confident and strong can work wonders for your height.