I can't tell you how many times I've heard sistahs say, "I don't have time for that check-up!"  or the like--neglecting the essential steps to attain and maintain better health.

Well my sistahs, time is never promised. There is no better moment than the start of a new year to take charge of your health.

Better health isn't solely in the doctor's hands. it starts with you!  Knowing your health status and family health history are key ingredients in becoming healthier.

At every age, there are health screenings and immunizations that will guide you and your healthcare provider toward prevention and early detection of disease. An excellent brochure created by the Office on Women's Health gives specific, age-related screening guidelines each one of us should have. It's called "A Lifetime of Good Health: Your Guide to Staying Healthy," available free at womenshealth.gov.

Getting your health in focus means taking action! Don't just get this guide, my sistahs--schedule your screening appointments and encourage all women in your life to do the same. Also, let's model this important health-saving behavior for our daughters. Teaching them the importance of taking care of their bodies will ensure we build a legacy of better health for our families.

Knowing your family health history is an equally important factor in understanding your risk for disease. Follow me over to WHOLE Express for easy instructions ongathering your family health history.

Better health is up to you. Learning more and learning early about hidden health challenges is the key to your survival. Act now! Don't delay! What you don't know can--and will--hurt you!

So often we confine and define ourselves by what others expect of us. As mothers, partners, workers, students, caretakers, breadwinners (or all of the above) we are constantly being pulled in every direction. Too often that means we spend our time, energy, and resources on others with none left for ourselves. How do we get what we need to be WHOLE? LEAP!

LEAP? Yes. Let's Explore Alternate Paths!

Sistah love, we cannot continue to do what we've been doing the way we've been doing it and expect a different outcome! If you want something new to happen, or something to change, then you've got to LEAP!

How can you lose weight and keep it off if you don't change your understanding about nutrition and get active? How can you get your finances in shape if at every turn you keep pulling out your "plastic" (credit cards) and buying stuff? How can your love relationships last if you don't first love you?

To LEAP means to self-reflect and acknowledge how your behavior is holding you in the unwanted places and situations that make you unhappy. It means weeding out bad habits and learning new skills to replace them. To LEAP is to open your mind to new sources, new ideas, new people, and new moves. It's refreshing, envigorating, liberating, and healing.

To LEAP is to tap into your Loving Energy, and let it nourish your soul. When you LEAP, you move beyond barriers and open the way for your new beginning.

Give yourself permission to LEAP! Your better self is waiting to emerge.

When it's cold outside, we've got to stoke our inner fire to keep warm and healthy. Nothing is better than a hot breakfast to fuel our "engine" and keep our energy up and the hunger down.

But we're often rushing so much in the morning that we don't even eat before we leave the house. Breakfast is often a sugary pastry and coffee on the run. Sound familiar?

With a little planning and just a few extra minutes, you have a hot breakfast at home, already cooked and waiting for you when you wake up. How? Bring on the crockpot!

WHOLE Grains are great for breakfast! Oatmeal is hands down the breakfast star. I found a crockpot recipe for oatmeal I adapted from the Food Network that is especially good. Much more WHOLEsome than the sugary, instant microwave "powder" they call oatmeal. Yuck! Try this easy recipe--you'll be glad you did!

Crockpot Oatmeal

Ingredients

1 cup steel cut oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup mejol dates, coarsely chopped
4 cups water
1/2 cup half-and-half

Directions

Before you go to bed, combine all ingredients in the crockpot and set to low heat. Cover and let cook overnight (for 8 to 9 hours.) The next morning, stir and ladle into serving bowls. Enjoy!

Looking for more crockpot breakfast recipes? Visit WHOLE Express for a jammin' Crockpot Apple Cobbler.