Community Blog

I have been asking this question for a while, do certain foods really lead to good skin? The answer is yes! I have read multiple articles and talk to my dermatologist about it. She even told me to test it out for a few days. I decide that I would only drink soda and eat foods like pizza and Mexican food for a few days. My skin seemed dull; there were certain dry spots and them really oily spots. It was very inconsistent. Then I went to the other side, I had more water, fresh fruit, and some treats like chocolate. My skin looked a lot healthier and even.

If you don’t believe me, try out the experiment yourself. Food is very important to keep our skin healthy. Some of the right foods include avocados, mangoes, almonds, oysters, baked potatoes, mushrooms, flaxseed oil, and cottage cheese. I am not saying you have to only eat these foods, but incorporating them into your diet is a good start.

Do you believe that the food you eat has a correlation to your skin?

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Crimson Tide football season is starting this Saturday which means studying will be even harder. I know how it feels to stress out right before a test. I used to do that my first 2 years of college, but I have learned that stressing does not help anything. It actually can make matters worse. I have been reading a lot of self improvement books and articles lately and have found some really good tips to beat stress. Below are some of my favorite things that I do to beat stress that I think everyone could benefit from

• Yoga is a great way to reduce stress and it only takes about 20-30minutes.
• Listen to music and get lost in a great workout.
• l or Journatalk to a friend.
• Clean your apartment/living area.
• Volunteer/help someone else. This is not avoiding your problems, but helps put them into perspective. How important is it?

Once I started doing these little things, I have been a lot happier and less stressed. My friends and the people around me always say that I am so positive. I love the feeling of uplifting others around me. What do you do to beat stress?

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The lady’s soccer team at University Of Alabama are taking on the Furman Saturday night at 8pm. We need to help them keep their winning streak going, so make sure to come our and cheer them on. You can check out an interview with the head coach, Todd Bramble about their last game where he talks about how the girls really need to get focused. Earlier this season the girls lost focus before the game started due to the overwhelming crowd. He talks about how the crowds are awesome because they can lift the team spirit as well.

The girls this season beat Samford in the season opener 2-1 and then went on to be UAB 1-0. Are you going to be supporting the UA ladies this weekend?

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Going Green does not have to be hard at all. I think people make it sound all complicated, but the truth is that it’s NOT. I love reading articles on Good Housekeeping; they are always so informative and some of the most creative ideas. Below are the tips that I read about going green. They are all very simple.

• Use a lunch bag opposed to brown paper lunch boxes.
• Use pencils instead of pens. Or if you have to use pens find ones where you can replace the ink yourself.
• Get a water bottle instead of using plastic bottles.
• If your errand is close by walk or ride a bike instead of using your car.
• Carpool to class or events.

I know these sounds really simple and almost like they don’t make a difference, but they really do. The small things like these tips above make a huge difference in the long run. What other going green tips do you have?

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Looking for something fun, but different to do this year? Wellthatscool.com is hosting an hour boat starting at 7:00pm.There will be plenty of music and nice cold beer the entire time. The Blue Party and Model Citizens will be performing live on the boat. They will have drink specials of $3 for a pint and it only cost $15 to get on the boat. Space is limited so be sure to get there early or get your tickets online.

The good thing about this is we get back at 10:00pm, so there will be plenty of time to meet our friends at the bars. It’s only 6 miles from our apartments so it will be convenient to go home and change if we need to. What are you planning to do this weekend? Any cool event everyone should know about?

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UA starts this Thursday and I remember how all my insecurities would creep up on me before the first day of class. When should I get there? What should I take? Where should I sit? Those thoughts never left me in all my years of college. It was especially elevated when I had a class in a new building. I was talking to a friend of mine who has been working with a life coach all summer long and she gave me some very useful tips to get rid of the insecurity, so that I can enjoy my first day. Below are the tips that she gave me from an article on Yahoo!

• Set achievable goals. Accomplishing goals always makes people feel better about themselves. I like to make a mini list of random things for me to do through out the day. For example, call a friend just to say hi or write a nice note to someone.
• Find some people in society that you want to be like personality wise and study them. Learn how they act and what they do.
• Fake it until you really believe it. This works because sometime while you are doing the “faking” you forget and it becomes real. I have done this with wanting to workout before and before I knew it my workout was over. I felt so much better about myself.

Another suggestion that I like to do is to create positive affirmations and place them around my house and belongings. I have quotes in my car coin holder, my wallet, and fridge at home. They really work!

How do you rid yourself of insecurities?

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University of Alabama is about to start soon and there are many seniors who will make the most of this year. I remember my last year in college and all of us girls would always say “this is the last time. . .” This is true there are great times and sad times. After college everyone went their own way, I moved to California for a few years and all of them are married now or have children. Even though all these things have occurred in our lives we still keep in touch and make an effort to keep a relationship. Then I have a group of friends that I never talk to anymore and the friendships have vanished.

My point is there are certain things you can do if you really cherish a friendship to make it last. My best friend and I have been friends for 14 years now. Even though I moved across the country and she has been in medical school we have maintained a very close relationship. Below are some of the ways to ensure a friendship like ours

• Make time for your friends. When you talk to them on the phone try not to be distracted. Listen and remember you don’t always have to give advice.
• Make sure the friendship is balanced. If one person is giving all the time and the other is taking eventually the giver is going to get tired.
• Stand up for your friend even when they are not present. This is the true sign of a loyal friend.

I know my friend and I bounce a lot of things off of each other and it is really a blessing to have someone like that in my life. I think everyone should have at least one person they can tell everything to. How do you make you friendships last?

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This Thursday evening at 5pm you can learn about Tuscaloosa’s rivers, lakes and streams for FREE! The event will feature watershed presentations and new photography exhibits by the two Waterkeepers protecting Tuscaloosa-area waterways: Nelson Brooke (Black Warrior Riverkeeper) and John Wathen (Hurricane Creekkeeper). Free admission, parking, food, wine, and beer provided.

The Alabama Museum of Natural History is located in Smith Hall on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Capstone Drive at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. For more information contact Charles Scribner at cscribner@blackwarriorriver.org or 205-458-0095.

I love learning about our local area and finding out ways to help protect our environment. I can’t wait to see the different presentations and meeting new people. This will be a great event to network at.

Are you going to the Tuscaloosa’s Waterkeepers Unite on Thursday?

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A comedy worth paying for. . . Dinner for Schmucks was absolutely hilarious! I went and saw it this week with one my girlfriends and I think I am going back to see it again with my boyfriend this weekend. I was crying laughing the entire time. The story line is very predictable, but Steve Carell does an amazing job as always. It’s about an account executive trying to get a promotion. In order to seal his promotion he has to attend a dinner for idiots and bring a “special” guest as well. His girlfriend is against the whole dinner, so he agrees not to go until he finds the perfect guest. Words can’t do this movie justice so check out the trailer below:

Job search is becoming so tough. There is so much competition you need to make sure that all of your “i’s” are dotted and “t’s” are crossed. Not only do you need to worry about the grammar, but the content of your resume is what really gets you in the door. The first few people usually just glance over it. I know that when I was searching a few months ago I was working with a recruiter and she had me take a lot of older things off. She also recently sent me this article from Yahoo! for other tips so your sounds fresh. Below are 3 of the tips that I found most useful.

• Don’t list all your experiences. List the ones that are most significant for the position you are applying for. And try to keep it within the last 10 years.
• Don’t overload the page. Do not go any smaller than Arial size 11 font.
• Don’t pick quantity over quality. Pick a few of the best positions/titles you have held and elaborate on what you accomplished.

I know these tips seem common sense, but sometimes we don’t think about the most obvious things when we are in the midst of working on the project. What other resume tips do you have for all the job hunters out there?

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