Back in the days, Asian parents would routinely encourage their children to play more basketball or jump rope. Their logic? “It’ll make you grow taller,” they insist. “It’ll definitely not backfire. And you’ll thank me in the future. And every time we’re unable to reach for that milo packet on the top shelf, you’ll help us as an act of gratitude.”
Well, it’s admittedly a bit of an old wives’ tale, but the results have not been entirely unconvincing. So it’s little wonder their advice has carried on to present day, though it’s with a slight complication:
The results are looking a little… backward.
Indeed, that’s the case for this particular kid, who was encouraged to jump rope in return for compensation. And after a year of grinding and hopping, our protagonist has successfully…
Become the shortest kid in school.
Parents Encourage Kid To Jump Rope Daily To Grow Taller Only To Have It Backfire
According to EBC News, a couple in China was so fixated on their 12-year-old son’s height, that they offered him 10RMB (approx. RM6) for every 1,000 jumps he did.
He ended doing 3,000 a day, to rather dismal results.
Apparently, the story started when the boy was certified as 7cm shorter than the average height for his age.
Being rather typical Asian parents, the boy’s parents passed him a jump rope, and offered an incentive: every 1,000 jumps he does, he’ll be rewarded with compensation.
Suffice it to say; the boy was extra-motivated, and used the jump rope every day (other than days when he fell sick). He eventually managed to reach a whopping 3,000 times per day, though whether the exact number’s as he says is really up to anyone’s guess.
By the time he was done with an entire year of jumping, he has been compensated with some 4,000 RMB (approx. RM2,365). Not too shabby for a 12-year-old kid, in all honesty.
But the results left much to be desired.
After an intense year of jumping, the boy somehow became the shortest student in his class. And after a little probing, it was discovered that…
He had been spending the money he earned on unhealthy snacks like potato chips.
Apparently, this would explain the mystery where he routinely lost his appetite at the dinner table, and the “un-explainable” weight gain he went through. His parents initially thought that he had simply been going through a hard time with academics, but reality was a wee bit different than either of them expected.
Well, looks like the parents’ valiant efforts have failed. After all, there’s a reason why they say:
30% training, 70% diet.
How To Grow Taller
According to my colleague, jumping rope does not make you taller. And neither does basketball. For more information on the topic, you can click here.
Instead, how your height forms over the years actually rely on a couple of other aspects.
For one, your height’s believed to be predetermined between 60% – 85% by your genetics. That’s also the reason why most couples that fall on the lower end of the height spectrum tend to give birth to ‘shorter’ children.
However, your potential can be somewhat tweaked. According to research, nutrition is a very important component during puberty. So if you did not eat nutritiously during your growing years, it is possible that you won’t ever reach your full potential.
On the other hand, you can actually grow taller than your genetically predetermined height if you’ve been eating well.
“According to the article, the average height of the Japanese increased by three inches after the war as they had access to more fish protein and not to mention that Denmark is one of the tallest countries in the world, indicating a strong correlation between wealth per capita and height.”
To that end, it’s believed that your growing period typically halts between the age of 18 and 25, so if you’re anywhere below that range or even between it…
You can get even taller, that’s all I’m saying.