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Why movement, hydration, stress, and digestion matter more than you think when you travel
Travel is something many of us look forward to — especially as we move into retirement years and finally have the time and freedom to explore. But what most women don’t realize is that travel itself is a physiological stressor, and stress directly affects bone health.
In this episode of the Stronger Bones Lifestyle Podcast, I sat down for the third time with Dr. Monisha Bhanote, a quintuple board-certified medical doctor who blends modern cellular science with ancient Ayurvedic wisdom. Our conversation focused on something rarely discussed in bone health: what happens to your bones when you travel — whether that’s a long-haul flight, a road trip, or even hours of daily sitting.
Sitting Is a Bone Stressor
One of the first things we talked about is sitting — something most of us do far more than we realize. Long periods of sitting, whether on an airplane or at a desk, reduce stimulation to the osteoblasts, the cells responsible for building bone.
Bones need mechanical loading and movement to stay strong. When we sit for extended periods, we essentially turn down the signal for bone building. That’s why movement — even gentle movement — matters so much. On flights, I now intentionally get up every hour, walk the aisle, and even do calf pumps and ankle movements in my seat. These small actions help maintain circulation, lymphatic flow, and bone stimulation.
Dehydration, Minerals, and Bone Health
Flying is incredibly dehydrating — the cabin air is drier than most deserts. Dehydration thickens the blood, making it harder for nutrients to reach bones and tissues. It also disrupts magnesium and calcium balance, both essential for bone health.
Add caffeine and alcohol — common travel crutches — and dehydration worsens. Swollen fingers, stiff joints, and fatigue are signs your body is struggling to maintain balance. Hydration isn’t just about comfort; it’s about nutrient delivery and cellular function, including how well your bones are supported.
Stress Hormones Quietly Dissolve Bone
Travel increases cortisol, the primary stress hormone. Cortisol accelerates bone breakdown, interferes with vitamin D activation, and impairs immune function. This is especially important for women with osteopenia or osteoporosis, where chronic stress can quietly undo your best efforts with diet or supplements.
There is no supplement that can outwork unmanaged stress. This is why nervous system regulation — breathwork, rest, movement, and mindset — must be part of any bone health plan.
Gut Health: The Hidden Bone Builder
Another major theme of our conversation was digestion. When travel disrupts sleep, meal timing, and food quality, the gut microbiome suffers. Poor digestion leads to poor mineral absorption — no matter how “good” your diet or supplements are.
Strong bones require strong digestion. In Ayurveda, this digestive fire is called Agni. When Agni is weak, nutrients never reach the bones. Travel meals, processed foods, and eating at odd hours all interfere with this process.
Supporting the Body as a Whole
What I appreciate most about Dr. Bhanote’s approach is her focus on cellular resilience. She created a botanical-based formulation called Travela Essentials to support digestion, immunity, stress response, detoxification, energy, and recovery — all systems affected by travel. While not designed specifically for bones, many of its ingredients support bone health indirectly by lowering inflammation, improving circulation, and reducing stress.
This episode isn’t about fear — it’s about awareness. Travel can be incredibly enriching, but only if we support our bodies through it.
My Takeaway
Your bones don’t stop responding just because you’re on vacation. Movement, hydration, digestion, stress management, and immune resilience all travel with you.
When you support your body at the cellular level, your bones come along for the journey — strong, resilient, and capable.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Oxalates, also known as oxalic acid, are naturally occurring compounds found in many plants, vegetables, and fruits. They are part of a plant’s defense mechanism against predators and can be found in high concentrations in foods like spinach, rhubarb, beets, nuts, chocolate, tea, and certain beans.
Regarding bone health, oxalates can bind to minerals such as calcium in the gut, forming calcium oxalate. This compound is not easily absorbed by the body, meaning the calcium that could have been utilized for bone strengthening is instead excreted. This process can potentially lead to lower calcium availability for bone health, which can be particularly concerning for individuals at risk of osteoporosis or other bone-related issues.
However, for most women, dietary oxalates do not pose a significant threat to bone health, especially if their diet is balanced with enough calcium and they do not have a history of kidney stones.
Your gut is crucial for stronger bones for several reasons:
- Nutrient Absorption: The gut is where most nutrient absorption occurs. For bones to be healthy and strong, they need a variety of nutrients, particularly calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamin D. A healthy gut efficiently absorbs these essential nutrients from your diet and facilitates their transportation to the bones.
- Gut Microbiome and Bone Health: Research has shown that the gut microbiome (the community of bacteria living in your intestines) can influence bone density. Certain gut bacteria help in producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, which have been shown to promote bone health. SCFAs can enhance the absorption of minerals necessary for bone strength and play a role in reducing inflammation, which can negatively affect bone health.
- Hormone Regulation: The gut helps regulate hormones that are involved in bone metabolism, including insulin, thyroid hormones, and sex hormones like estrogen. For example, estrogen is vital for bone density, and gut health can influence estrogen levels through the enterohepatic circulation, where estrogens are processed in the liver and intestines.
- Reducing Inflammation: Chronic inflammation, which can stem from poor gut health, is linked to many conditions that compromise bone strength, such as osteoporosis. A healthy gut helps to reduce systemic inflammation, protecting bones from inflammatory damage.
- Immune System Modulation: The majority of the immune system is located in the gut. An imbalance in the immune system can lead to autoimmune conditions, some of which affect the bones. Maintaining gut health helps to ensure the immune system works correctly, protecting against autoimmune reactions that could impact bone health.
In essence, maintaining a healthy gut contributes significantly to stronger bones by ensuring the effective absorption of vital nutrients, regulating hormones, reducing inflammation, and supporting a healthy immune system. Therefore, a diet rich in bone-healthy nutrients, prebiotics, and probiotics, along with lifestyle factors that promote gut health, is key to maintaining strong bones.