Bring on the New Year!  I’ve got my champagne glass in one hand, and sparkler in the other.  And I definitely have my resolution all lined up.  I am declaring 2013 to be all about mama.  The focus will be on me, me and more me!

That’s right – forget the kids, forget hubby and definitely forget everyone else.  It is all about me.  Does that sound harsh?  Selfish, perhaps?  Well the fact is that all of us black and brown mamas need to take this “selfish” stance.  2012 was harsh year for moms of color.  Just check out the not so pretty 2012 statistics about our health as quoted from a recent online article on Forbes:

• “African-American women are nearly four times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than white women.

• Nationally, black women account for 66 percent of new cases of HIV among women.

• HIV/AIDS-related illness is now the leading cause of death among black women ages 25-34.

• Black and Hispanic women’s rates of unwanted pregnancy and abortion are significantly higher than those of white women, according to the New York-based Guttmacher Institute.”

If that isn’t bad enough, in 2012 statistics from the Centers for Disease Control showed black women leading the way in obesity with a staggering 41% of us being obese.  We won’t even talk about how we fared when it comes to stroke, heart disease and diabetes!

Clearly 2012 was NOT our year for health.  But that’s okay.  We can turn it around in 2013. . .but only if we all make a collective effort to put ourselves and our health first.  That’s why I want us to band together in telling our family, friends and acquaintances “NO” in 2013.

NO, I’m not going to run around doing your errands and miss my daily designated exercise time.

NO, you are not going to stress me out, causing me to develop a stress-related illness or start binge eating.

NO, we will not skip using a condom just this one time putting my health at risk so you can feel good.

And NO, I will not take you kids through the drive-thru to order extra large sodas, burgers and fries that will just tempt me to throw my healthy eating plan out the window!

Just NO!

Instead, mamas let’s say yes to ourselves, yes to our needs and definitely yes to good health.  2013 will be all about a healthy us.  It’s not selfish.  It’s just a reality that we’re no help to anybody else if we don’t take care of ourselves first.

So ladies, a toast to 2013 being the year of YOU!

What will you say “NO” to in 2013?  How will you put yourself first?

Words: Yolanda Darville

Yolanda Darville is a mom, writer, and blogger focusing on philanthropy and empowering women.  Learn more about her on her blog www.bahamamommyinc.com.