Well it’s already December 22nd in a few time zones, and the world has kept spinning.  Congratulations to us all!

Anyway, today's post is a bit different from my normal topics, as I wanted to put together a list of lessons I learned throughout the past year.  Forgive me for getting a bit nostalgic, but I figure it's only fitting given the time of year.  Enjoy!

As the world is going to end on Friday (that is, according to the Mayans), I thought this would be as great a time as any to post my 2nd article in the “cranky shoulder series.”  If you missed it, or blatantly ignored my blog for a while, you can click here for the introductory part 1.

Now that we’ve established good breathing patterns and reduced the “tone” of the muscles in your upper body in the last post, it’s time to really work on getting that mobility back through active exercises.

I’m always surprised at the lack of good information on the internet concerning women and lifting weights.  (Note: if you’d like to know what I’m talking about, trying googling anything with Tracy Anderson.  Seriously, what in the world is THIS!?) Further, I’ve written in previous blog posts that women need to lift weights, but I haven’t really touched on why. 

Well for starters, the health benefits are enormous.  In fact, there's probably too many benefits to list in a single post, but one of the more important ones is that it decreases your risk of bone density loss in your later years. Yet, many women fear lifting weights because a) they’re intimidated, or b) they fear that coming within a two foot radius of a weight larger than 20 lbs will “put on too much muscle.”  While I don't think any single blog post will quell the former, the latter is just an excuse that has no scientific merit.

Just the other day, someone asked me if I had a man crush on Dwight Howard’s shoulders.  The answer?  Why yes, yes I do.

Now, let’s not go off the deep end, as I think he’s completely overrated and the Kim Kardashian of the NBA (famous for never really doing anything).  But, attaining “Dwight-caliber” shoulders will remain a pipe dream for the majority of Americans.  The reason?  They already have a bad shoulder.

Can you believe it's mid-December?  I’m not sure where the past 3 ½ months went, but they sure flew by for me.

Instead of one of my normal posts today, I wanted to pass along some of the great links and articles that I’ve seen through the past week.  And of course, there’s a new squatting anthem for those that are inclined at the very end.