Question: I am puzzled due to the belief that if you stretch alot and are flexible it can help you grow. Yet i am the most flexible out of all my friends yet i am the shortest even if its by a cm or more. Why aren't i growing if i am flexible and have good bones?

Hi kborcher,

As a short person, I feel your pain. When you exercise and when you eat, you produce a bit of growth hormone. That’s why people encourage you to exercise when you are in growth stages – just to keep it pumping. But while it will help you up to a point, ultimately genetics will determine how tall you are. This doesn’t mean that because your parents are tall you will be tall, or if they are short that you will be shorter.But it means that there will be some limitation on how tall you will end up, regardless of how much exercise you do. But don’t worry too much about your height – many people don’t reach their full height until after they have left school.So you may have some time yet. (for the record, I am 5 ft 2 inches. TINY)