"How I changed my life for the better": with a new son and a new outlook, Sheryl Crow shares her secrets for living a happier life

When Sheryl Crow appeared on Shape's cover in January 2006, her life seemed just about perfect. She was engaged to world-champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, she had a new album out, and she was in the best shape of her life. Or so she thought. A mere four weeks later, her entire world collapsed. First, there was the public split with Lance, then almost immediately afterward, a diagnosis of breast cancer. Like many women who've had cancer, Sheryl spent a lot of time examining her life and searching for the answers she needed to get healthy again. "Looking back, I realize I wasn't focusing enough on myself," she says. "Women are usually the nucleus of the family. We're the nurturers and the caregivers. And unfortunately we tend to give the least amount of nourishment to ourselves." After she finished radiation, the first thing the 45-year-old singer did was buy a horse farm just outside Nashville, Tennessee, a dream she had since she was a child (turn the page to meet her mare, Sally). And a year later, having always yearned for children, she adopted a baby boy named Wyatt. When she invited Shape to visit her at her ranch, we had the opportunity to see firsthand how Sheryl has transformed her life and to learn what she's doing now to maintain such a positive attitude.

NEVER TAKE YOUR HEALTH FOR GRANTED

When a routine mammogram revealed that Sheryl had breast cancer, she was stunned. "It doesn't run in my family," she says of the disease. "And I've always worked out and been fit, so I figured I'd never get sick. But when I was diagnosed, I realized disease isn't about how fit you are. In my mind, it's so much more about how you live your life and how much stress you're under."

Because the cancer was caught early, Sheryl was able to avoid radical treatment like a mastectomy or chemotherapy; after a lumpectomy and seven weeks of radiation, she was cancer-free. Although she still gets mammograms and MRIs every six months (and will need to for the next two years), Sheryl is positive about the future. "I do believe the cancer is gone," she says, knocking on the wood table in front of her. "But I'm acutely aware every day that I had it--and I'm trying to do everything I can to prevent it from coming back."

KEEP YOUR BODY FIT

One of the things Sheryl is doing to stay well is focusing on her fitness routine. "I know now that daily exercise isn't going to protect me 100 percent from illness," she says. "But I still believe it's an important way for a woman to keep her body healthy."

Dressed in cargo pants and a tank top that shows off her sculpted arms and shoulders, Sheryl is clearly in fantastic shape. But like most first-time moms, her routine has changed significantly since adopting Wyatt. After she finished her radiation treatments and moved to her ranch, she'd been getting up early, meditating, then going on either a horseback ride, a long bike ride, or an hour-long run along the hilly roads near her home. "Now it's all about Wyatt," says Sheryl, cradling the boy with crazy cowlicks in her arms. "When he wakes up at 6:30 a.m., the day is on! I feed him, put him in the stroller, go down to the barn, see the horses, then walk him back up, and while he's asleep in the stroller, I roll him into the gym and work out before he wakes up and wants to be fed again." Her home gym, which is well equipped with workout machines, is where she does half an hour of cardio on the elliptical or StairMaster, along with some light weight training or Pilates. "I used to do yoga, but now I love Pilates because of how it lengthens my muscles, which helps keep my body more agile as I get older."

EAT TO LIVE, DON'T LIVE TO EAT

Sheryl's other weapon against cancer is a healthy diet. Once she was diagnosed, she hired a nutritionist to help her change her eating habits. She went from indulging in breakfast burritos with sausage and cheese to eating high-fiber cereal with fresh blueberries. She's also cut out most meat and refined carbs like pasta in favor of fish and brightly colored fruits and vegetables rich in cancer-fighting antioxidants. (She's even planning to start an organic garden on her farm so she can grow her own veggies.) As for those Big Macs she told us last year that she loved, she now says, "I can't remember the last time I ate fast food. It's funny how you lose the desire for that stuff once you start treating your body right." But Sheryl makes it a point to "cheat" 10 percent of the time, splurging on dark chocolate and the occasional glass of red wine or, every now and then, a bag of potato chips. "I think I miss salt more than anything else!"

Suddenly, Wyatt cries out from the next room, demanding his lunch. As she feeds him his bottle, Sheryl smiles. "This past year I feel like I've been through a workshop on how to live a healthier, more fulfilling life. It may have been forced on me, but it was actually a blessing."