The 6 Overlooked Keys to Health and Why My 78-Year-Old Mum Has More Energy Than I Do
- Brainz Magazine
- Jun 17
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 19
Most health advice focuses on what we eat, but what if food is only one piece of the puzzle? In this article, I share the unexpected lessons I learned from two very different sources: my 78-year-old mum, who radiates energy and vitality, and Bashar, a channeled consciousness whose messages have been shared for decades and are known for their clarity and insight.
True health is more than what’s on your plate, it’s how you live, breathe, and move.
Once my Western, analytical mind finally understood why these changes mattered, I felt truly motivated to act.
What I discovered are six foundational, but often overlooked, keys to true, lasting health. You’ll learn how honoring these basics can help your body do what it was built to do: heal.
For years, I’ve been deeply immersed in the world of health. I’ve studied and applied nutrition, mastered cleansing and detoxification, and made sure I was getting all the essential nutrients my body needed. I thought I had it figured out. But over time, I began to realize there’s more to health than just what you eat.
I began getting subtle nudges, calls to move my body more and get fit. At first, I resisted. I told myself I was doing enough. After all, I walk, I mow the lawns, I do housework. That’s exercise, right?
I suspected that there was something missing that could take me to the next level. I began to search and came across information from a few different sources that reframed my understanding of movement, energy, and vitality. One of those sources was my own mother, who at 78 years old has more energy than most people half her age. I started asking: What is she doing right?
Then I came across a message from Bashar, a channeled consciousness whose teachings have a way of cutting through the noise and getting straight to the core. One particular transmission confirmed what I was beginning to intuitively understand: that true health is a synergy of multiple simple, foundational elements, not just diet.
I already knew that breathing, movement, reducing stress, and doing things I’m passionate about were important. But somehow, I hadn’t realized that they were just as important, or even more so, than nutrition itself. I guess I needed to understand why they mattered so much. And somehow, the way Bashar presented the six key ways to maintain optimal health struck a chord, giving me the insight I needed to make changes.
Summary of Bashar’s six keys to maintaining optimal health
Bashar reminds us that before diving into how to heal or cure specific issues, it’s essential first to ensure that we’re applying the foundational elements that support health.
1. Oxygen
The first and most critical requirement for health is oxygen. Many of us are not receiving adequate oxygen, partly due to modern environmental pollution and partly due to shallow, stress-induced breathing patterns. Oxygen is the primary fuel that allows our cells to build, regenerate, and function optimally.
Bashar emphasizes that the oxygenation of the system is the starting point for all healing. It’s not just about survival-level breathing, it’s about conscious, full-body oxygenation. We can improve this by seeking out clean, natural environments when possible, practicing breathing into the sides of the body, or using techniques such as meditation, yoga, or any calming activity that slows the breath and encourages fullness in the lungs.
Short, rapid, anxious breaths limit our intake and can deprive our cells of what they need to truly thrive. Simply learning to breathe more deeply and regularly can be a transformational practice. One of the most powerful and accessible tools I’ve found for increasing oxygenation is a specific type of breath known as diaphragmatic breathing, or breathing into your sides.
Oxygen is the starting point for all healing. — Bashar
With practice, this way of breathing can become automatic, happening all day long. You can also use it consciously whenever you need it, to reset, calm down, or reconnect with your body.
This multidimensional breath creates space, allowing blocked energy or trauma to be released, leaving you with less tension and greater ease.
This breath matters because it’s how we are designed to breathe. It’s the way the body is meant to move.I can’t emphasize what a life-changer this is:
Breathe into your sides. It’s how your body is designed to move.
Deep, slow breath calms the nervous system and restores balance.
Keep practicing, and it becomes part of your daily rhythm. You’ll start to feel calmer, more balanced, and less pulled into fight, flight, or freeze.
When you breathe deeply, especially with diaphragmatic or side-body breath, it supports your nervous system, which in turn helps your body return to its natural, balanced state: homeostasis.
2. Hydration
The second foundational element is hydration. As our bodies are made up of mostly water, staying hydrated is essential. Every day, choices like coffee, soda, alcohol, salty snacks, and even cooked food can actually contribute to dehydration. Being mindful of this can make a big difference in how we feel.
Bashar compares the body to a battery: without enough water, our cells can short out, burn out, or become “dry,” losing their natural conductivity. In this dehydrated state, the body struggles to flush toxins effectively. This buildup of toxins can overload the immune system and impair enzyme and cellular functions, opening the door for disease.
He recommends that most people consume between one and two litres per day, though needs vary depending on the individual. And a key point: if you feel thirsty, you’re already behind. Thirst is your body’s final warning signal. When you're truly hydrated, you rarely feel thirsty.
For ultimate hydration and detoxification, try squeezing one lemon into 1 litre of filtered water and drinking this as soon as you wake up in the morning.
3. Movement
The third key is movement, something we all know is important but often overlook or minimize. Bashar reminds us that movement is not just about fitness, but about keeping energy flowing through the body.
Exercise allows the muscles to act as pumps, helping to circulate water, oxygen, and nutrients throughout the body. This, in turn, supports detoxification, strengthens the muscular and skeletal systems, and allows the minerals and nutrients we consume to become effective building blocks for regeneration.
“Movement allows energy to flow through you, rather than letting it stagnate and build up, eventually converting into mass, or what you call ‘weight.’
He even plays with language here, suggesting that weight can represent "waiting to move." In other words, energy that is not expressed through action, whether physical or emotional, may accumulate in the body.
Bashar places movement in the same vital category as oxygen and hydration, emphasizing that all three work together to create cellular vitality, energetic flow, and long-term health.
As I understand it, movement and exercise are essential for deep healing and long-term vitality, not just to be healed, but to stay vibrant and radiant. Squeezing the muscles during exercise (strength training or bodyweight moves) helps pump energy through the body and release stagnant or blocked energy.
While breathing and meditation are beneficial, they become more effective when combined with physical movement. More intense, muscle-activating exercises like push-ups, squats, pull-ups, and jumping move more energy and accelerate healing. Gentler movement practices such as walking, stretching, or yoga are also valid, although they may take longer to produce the same energetic shifts.
Consistency and choice matter. Fast or slow, both are valid paths depending on your intention and commitment.
4. Reduction of stress
Number four is the reduction of stress in the system. Many of the symptoms we may attribute to the onset of illness are just side effects of undue stress in our lives.
Bashar strongly recommends that we find any way, shape, or form to reduce stress. If that means letting go of situations, like work environments or relationships that we know deep down aren’t serving us, then he encourages us to do so.
Or, at the very least, use our imagination to transform these situations into something more enjoyable, exciting, or relaxing. Stress reduction is of paramount importance in our society.
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system is highly effective for managing acute stress, but it wasn't meant to be constantly active. Today, many of our stressors aren’t immediate, identifiable threats, we face ongoing worries about our personal lives, work, and global issues. These chronic concerns still activate the HPA axis, leading to sustained high stress hormone levels.
We live in a fast-paced world where hypervigilance takes a toll on our health. Daily stressors repeatedly trigger the HPA axis, keeping our bodies in a state of high alert. Chronic stress has been linked to nearly every major illness. Bruce H. Lipton, The Biology of Belief
5. Cleansing and toxin removal
Number five is the elimination of toxins, both from our environment and from within our bodies. Cleansing the system of toxic buildup is of critical importance, especially in today’s world, where exposure to pollutants, chemicals, and heavy metals is widespread.
There are many forms of cleansing and detoxification protocols that can be explored to help the body release what has accumulated over time. This includes supporting the removal of heavy metals, pesticides, and other harmful substances commonly found in modern food and living environments.
Bashar emphasizes that it’s not just about what you remove, but also about being mindful of what you allow in, paying attention to the quality and purity of what you eat, drink, and breathe.
The removal of toxins, both incoming and existing, is a foundational step toward restoring balance and sustaining long-term health.
6. Lightening the diet
Number six is the idea of lightening our diet. In our society, many foodstuffs are heavily altered, filled with hormones, chemicals, and toxins. By shifting toward lighter, water-rich foods, especially fresh, raw, and organic fruits and vegetables, you begin to support your body in a way that aligns with its natural state, because your body, too, is mostly water.
These kinds of foods assist not only in physical cleansing but also in lightening your energy. Bashar notes that for some individuals, small amounts of protein, even meat, may be appropriate from time to time. But he encourages caution, as much of the animal protein available today is laden with toxic substances.
As our energy accelerates and our systems become more refined, we’ll find that we require less food overall. The more natural and alive our food is, the more effectively it delivers nutrients and energy. As we purify our systems through oxygen, hydration, movement, and stress reduction, our bodies become more receptive to nourishment, requiring less to sustain more effectively.
“Lightening your diet also lightens your energy.” — Bashar
These elements work in harmony, and together they support the body’s natural intelligence, its built-in ability to remain healthy, balanced, and vibrant.
These six ideas are the foundation of health. And if we allow ourselves to recognize how simple and accessible they are, oxygen, hydration, movement, stress reduction, detoxification, and lightening the diet, Bashar says you'll understand that, in many cases, just these alone can eliminate the likelihood of disease.
So when people ask, “How do we cure this or that health issue?” the answer, in essence, is: you prevent them by living in alignment with what your body naturally needs.
Because the body already knows how to heal. It has a built-in intelligence to maintain balance and vitality. But it requires the basic fuels to do so.
Give the body what it needs, and it will take care of the rest.
So what is my mum doing right?
I believe that she is applying most of these six principles, in particular, movement.
One of the key factors contributing to my mother's abundant energy is her strong goal orientation, and according to Bashar, she is in movement. She picks a goal and pursues it with fierce determination. Everything else becomes secondary. This has a profoundly positive effect on her health because it is funneling all this energy toward this goal. Her energy doesn’t stagnate, it’s always in motion, always directed. So you could say that in pursuing these goals, life flows and supports her.
I believe this is a big component of why my mother has so much energy. She’s a human dynamo!
If you're feeling inspired, but not quite sure where to start, I’d love to support you.
Book a complimentary Discovery Call with me, and together we’ll explore your next steps toward Vibrant Health.
Visit my website for more info!
Read more from Jenny Riley
Jenny Riley, Special Guest Writer and Executive Contributor
Jenny Riley is a Health Practitioner who supports individuals in healing chronic conditions and mystery symptoms. Her approach is based on Holistic Health and Medical Medium® principles. Every healing journey is unique. Jenny creates personalized healing plans that focus on the root cause of symptoms, open detoxification pathways, and restore balance in the body. Her method is simple, manageable, and sustainable, helping clients move towards being symptom-free.
