My 79 yr old mom has back problems, and she's always saying how she just "shrunk." She was always a taller woman - 5'8, and she's about eye to eye with me right now, and I'm 5'5. I know she doesn't/can't stand up straight, but like the other poster that mentioned her elderly father -- it's not like she chopped off 3 inches of leg! ha! All of the internal structure is there, so I wouldn't think her BMI has changed any, just based on her eventual change in height.
I've had barre exercise classes led by a former all-american diver, and he insists that you can "stretch" yourself to gain height -- that your flexibility has a lot to do with it. (not gaining several inches, but perhaps fractions) Of course, he's pretty tall, and he's super flexible. I'm working on my own flexibility, because it seems like a good thing to have as one gets older, along with good balance and cardiovascular condition. Plus, it just feels good!
Oh, and don't forget about gravity. I found out a while back that gravity is not only affecting my chin and my chest, but also my eyeballs! Doctor says my astigmatism will never get any better as I age, unlike some folks, who have it disappear. Seems that gravity is squishing my eyeballs, too!
Yeah, well...for the longest time I swore I was 5'2", but turns out I'm not quite that tall, but only by half an inch! haha, I'm very vertically challenged, and very truthfully 5'1.5"
I stopped growing in 7th grade and I was 5' 7 3/4" according to our school nurse. Over the years I've had people measure me to be 5'6", 5'8", 5'9", and one nurse even wrote 5' on my chart (I assume she simply forgot to write in the rest... which I did for her when no one was looking). I go with 5'8" which is what I was most consistently measured at, and is only 1/4 inch more than the 7th grade measurement.
I guess you shrink a little when you age. I WAS 5'8", then measured at 5'7" which I now use. Recently I was measured at 5'6". My heels are getting higher and I do not approve.
I always say I'm 5'4 but I'm actually 5'3 and 3/4s inch... I round up. When I was younger I REALLY wanted to be taller. I'm the shortest of my sisters, and for whatever reason, in my friend group I was shorter than everyone except one girl who was about the same height as I am.
Now, I'm happy I'm a shorty (and in my current friend group I'm not even considered short, more average). After hearing stories about jeans shopping and trying to dance with guys that are your same height/shorter, dresses being dangerously short, etc. from my tall female friends, I think being short/average makes life a little easier, even if I will never have that lean model-esque look.
