u/RealisticMuscle8246

(I recommend reading the whole thing for proper context but short summary is available at the end)

For context, I am an 18-year-old male with a height of 5’4”, which is well below the average male height nowadays, which is around 5’7”.

My genetics do not help me either. My mother is exactly 5 feet tall, and my father is 5’4”.

One could argue that my height is good enough because I’m as tall as my parents, but I actually did a little research and found out about something called height potential, something I didn’t even know existed.

Height potential basically states that genetics is obviously an important factor in determining height, but if someone has good habits like proper sleep and good nutrition during their teenage years, they have the potential to grow much taller, or at least noticeably taller than their parents.

To be very honest, unfortunately, I was a very spoiled kid in this regard. During my teenage years, my sleep schedule was as bad as one could imagine, and my diet was practically non-existent. I mostly ate junk food just for the sake of eating or survival.

Obviously, all of this explains why I am below average in height. I acknowledge my fault here. I even had a tiny bit of awareness during the middle phase of my teenage years, yet I still decided to ignore it.

My teenage years actually started during COVID, a time when my whole family was already dealing with several issues. After COVID, we shifted to a new city, which was a very depressing phase for me. I was emotionally struggling because of everything that had happened, moving away from relatives, leaving behind my old routine, and basically the place where I had spent my childhood. All of this happened during the peak of hormones during my teenage years.

Right now, since I’m nearing the last phase of my teenage years, I’m focusing on training, diet, and whatever growth I have left while also managing my sleep schedule and my busy schedule. On the positive side, I’ve been told by people that I have a very good personality.

I would be lying if I said I don’t feel insecure, especially after seeing girls who are as tall as me or even taller than me, and even more so after seeing some of my cousin brothers and sisters being a bit taller than me.

I didn’t really have this insecurity earlier, but it has doubled ever since I started noticing the online agenda and comparing it to real life. Apart from some college guys joking about short height during banter, I haven’t really seen many people point out how short I am, aside from my parents and a few relatives, which I guess is a positive thing.

However, online I’ve seen people act completely differently. It is often claimed that being tall is a huge advantage and sometimes even an important factor. The thing is, I personally believe that people often show their true colors online because of anonymity. It makes me think that maybe people really are like this, and they’re just better at hiding it in real life for obvious reasons.

Obviously, people can always say, “Not everyone is like this,” but I’m talking from a general perspective here, not from a perspective that’s simply meant to make me feel better.

If someone actually read all of this, thank you. Let me know what you think.

Short summary: I’m an 18-year-old male who is 5’4”, with parents who are also short. I later learned about height potential and realized that although genetics matter, my poor sleep, terrible diet, and difficult teenage years during COVID and moving to a new city likely prevented me from reaching mine. I’m now trying to improve my lifestyle while accepting responsibility for my past habits. Even though people say I have a good personality, I still struggle with insecurity about my height, especially because of how people talk about it online, which often feels much harsher than what I experience in real life. I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts.

I don’t know if this is the correct sub to ask this question but in your opinion, what would be the closest alternative to sprinting which could be done at home?

Thank you