It's that time of year in the dorms. While we get scared by haunted houses on the weekends in October, the actual phantom over our heads is the flu. Midterms are coming up, conference meets and games for sports are approaching, and perhaps theatre shows are closing. Long story short, there is no time for the flu. Ain't nobody got time for that! 

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Keeping up your health as a college student is almost as difficult as balancing work, school, and a social life. Both feats seem nearly impossible (nervous laugh). However, what if you could avoid a cold and keep up your nutrition. This sounds hard, however it's just as easy as changing up your diet. Below are some foods that boost your immune system, and are also good for you!

1. Citrus

Vitamin C is the number one food that helps keep your immune system running. Lemons, limes, grapefruits, and oranges are easy to fit into any meal. 

2. Garlic

Garlic simultaneously helps fight infections and is also a great agent in balancing cholesterol. Pinch it into your sauces and dishes to add a little zing to every meal. 

3. Ginger

Just like garlic, ginger adds a zing to your meals and drinks. Adding it to a pressed juice would not only help keep your mind sharp for the day, but it will also wake you up. Like vitamin C, ginger can keep a cold from even taking hold. 

4. Spinach

Spinach is rich in vitamin C, beta-carotene, and antioxidants. Wilt it in pasta or enjoy a salad on it. 

5. Almonds

Almonds have vitamin E, a fat-soluble vitamin that is key to a healthy immune system. A handful a day keeps the cold away!

6. Green Tea

Green tea is packed with antioxidants like EGCG and flavonoids. The amino acid, L-theanine , that helps fight colds is found in it. Luckily, Starbucks makes many delicious drinks including this delicious way to fight a cold. 

Although most college campuses ban tobacco, smoking still occurs on the sidewalks and illegally in dorm rooms. Being sick and simultaneously affected by pollutants is not a pleasurable combination. With October being National Health Lung Month, be wary of smoke and the pollutants that come with it. These toxins to be wary of include radon and asbestos. These can be carcinogenic, highly dangerous, and lead to cancers like mesothelioma, which is caused by exposure to asbestos. Here is a fact sheet from the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance about healthy lungs:

Last up on the "Talk Shop" series was blogger networks. I was very impressed with the amount of data I gathered and the opinions I got. I'm hoping to get the same amount this time! So, what's next for my number-crunching laboratory? "Dee Dee, get OUT of my LABORATORYYY"

No, not Dexters's Laboratory, but it's sponsored posts! I want to find out what us bloggers are getting paid or if, how their relationships with brands are, and more. I asked how often they do sponsored posts, if they only do monetary compensations, how their experience with brands has been and what their favorite brands to work with were.

I've been paid to do sidebar advertisements and social media posts (instagram/pinterest), but not a blog post. I have two other jobs, so my main income isn't blogging. However, If I could make blogging my main income one day that would be absolutely fabulous. I'm very happy, and blessed, to have been granted the gift of receiving product compensation. I've received clothes, makeup, a Keurig, and more. I've also gotten to try two teatoxes. 

My goal is to get a big fan base so I can create a big-time media kit with prices. Maybe I should just make one so it looks legit, right? That's for another talk shop.

For a reference for these results, my small but sturdy sample was 6 bloggers.

Three bloggers do sponsored posts every two months, three of them do them more than twice a month. This could average out to once a month. This can depend on many things including how often bloggers reach out to brands, how often brands reach out to bloggers, and how picky bloggers are. As for me, I'm definitely on the every two months scale. It;s safe to say that bloggers with bigger fan bases do more sponsored posts, simply because there's more people to be exposed to the product and that's what outreach employees like to see.

I dream of the day that I only do paid opportunities. However, you have to do some freebies here and there to build trust and relationships. It seems here that the majority of the bloggers surveyed only did paid sponsorships.

It looks like there aren't any bad experiences here!

Thanks to all my lovely participants!

Adriana Renee http://alaskarenee.com

Lena www.lenatalksbeauty.com

Brittany www.southernsoulblog.com

http://thewhisperbox.com

Becky Winkler http://www.acalculatedwhisk.com/

Morgan Timm http://www.mostlymorgan.com

This semester at school, my I'm focusing of personal style, fashion, and body image, with my three different research projects (I know, don't remind me). The topic of my first paper is, "How Personal Style Affects Personal Identity." The topic of my second paper is, "How Exercise Effects Body Image", and the third research project is about fashion in relation to PR & Marketing. So, I decided I'd write a post about personal style. 

Personal fashion sense is something that is very important to me. Without a doubt, I believe no matter how high or low fashion is on your list of priorities, fashion affects your self-perception. How? Don't ask me, I haven't quite conducted my research yet.

So, what is personal style? It's pretty self-explanatory. It's the style of clothes you gravitate towards and wear often. It's what clothes you feel the most "you" in. When I did a focus group in my class, the subjects agreed that they felt the most confident and comfortable simultaneously in their favorite outfits. When they are feeling the height of their comfort and confidence, they can then fully be "themselves." So, I guess you could say that personal style also encompasses personality and self-perception.

I'm not saying that everybody has to be in a box. I'm a firm believer in being in many boxes, but not spreading myself too thin. Why should we describe ourselves with such stereotypical words, when we could describe ourselves by our emotional and character traits? Instead of describing our personality as punky or sporty, how about we say that we are a kind, level-headed person that loves to play basketball? Sometimes I find myself dressing pop-punk with band shirts, flannels, and beanies. Sometimes, I find myself dressing preppy in button-downs and arm candy galore. Sometimes, I find myself dressing boho with paisley, flowy cardigans, and round sunglasses. However, I know my personality traits: determined, loyal, and level-headed. Instead of using boho as my personal style description, I'd use one personality trait, and a general word to describe the clothes I own.

So, I've come up with a very simple formula for finding our personal style. Our personality is the root of our style. The theme of the clothes we wear are the adjective. Below are two columns: personality traits and clothing traits. Pick one word from each column that describes your style. There's your personal style!

For example, my two words would be "driven trendy." I am driven to succeed in my life and my career, and I'm always looking for the newest trends in pretty much anything, but the pieces I buy are usually on-trend. So, my clothing style would be described as trendy. Also, the field I'm entering is all about being trendy, so it all ties in.

What are your two words? Comment below, or tweet me!