Heart disease, diabetes, and other metabolic side effects of obesity affect both adults and children. Some of this may be hereditary, but sometimes it can result merely from a poor diet and lack of exercise.

When preventable, it saddens me to think that children with obesity and other related problems live shorter and less healthy lives. What happened to the good old days where people were outside and active? What became of the time before TV, before video games, before computers, and before all sorts of gadgets were created to do our manual labor for us? Sedentary lifestyles are a continuing problem with more health consequences than one can imagine - for people of all ages.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recently recommended that cholesterol testing include children as young as two and provide preventative treatment for patients from families with a history of related health problems. Some speculate that future generations could develop insulin resistance and fatty liver if given cholesterol-lowering and other prescriptions too early in life. However, others may argue that screening for problems early on could save lives.

How early is too early to start monitoring your children's health?

1) Voluntouring

Citizen Hunters, if you are trying to figure out a way to vacation and volunteer at the same time time, look no further! You can find some tips and useful links from Conde Nast Traveler here.

2) Tee Off at Eco-Friendly resorts

For all of you "Green" Citizen Hunters with a passion for golf, check out these top 10 eco-friendly resort courses recommended by Joe Passov of "Golf Magazine."

As most of us have, I've certainly learned over time that most problems don't resolve themselves if they are ignored. Despite coverage of the war in Iraq diminishing dramatically over time, the war itself is far from over.

One TV consultant's findings on this - Andrew Tyndall's - are quite disturbing.

How can people sit back and let the networks and other media outlets allow this war to become a "has been?"

There are so many options when it comes to quick-fix style diets, but few of them yield desirable long term results. Are we supposed to eat carbs or not eat carbs? Should we all become vegetarians, or is it important to eat meat? Is fat healthy or unhealthy? Everyone seems to have a different answer to these questions, which in turn leads to great confusion.

Many of my friends have recently transitioned into becoming Vegans, which sparked my interest in finding out more about this increasingly popular lifestyle. This low calorie, low fat, and low cholesterol approach seems to be a great means of weight management and enabling people to eat a wide variety of foods.

If you are curious about the benefits of different diet plans and a vegan lifestyle too, check out this article I recently read.

Recently, the federal minimum wage rate in our nation was raised from $5.85 to $6.55. While many individual states set their minimum wage above that, The Bureau of Labor Statistics has indicated that millions, of American hourly workers are paid at or below the federal minimum rate. Despite this increase, more people are feeling the crunch to make ends meet because it is offset by continuously increasing costs of living, food, and other basic necessities.

Click here for other interesting recent stories on the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

My friend Dana introduced me to a unique group of philanthropically-minded young professionals in New York City. The Purl Foundation , a charitable organization created to help the homeless population in New York by providing warm articles of clothing and blankets. With several volunteer knitters making their own creations, in addition to donations from others, people’s lives are being saved from cold winter nights on the streets.

For more information on how you can help, visit their web site. If you are in the area on August 20th, feel free to stop by their Kick-off Fundraiser.

Here's a bunch of quick links that might not be worth a whole blog of their own, but you might find helpful anyway:

Waking Up is Hard To Do - Not just a song, it's a reality for many. Here are some tips I found to help you get your day off to a great start.

Random Acts of Kindness - Citizen Hunters, if you are looking for a little bit of inspiration, check out beliefnet's random acts of kindness gallery. Collectively, selfless acts can make a great impact in our world!

What You Need To Succeed - Here is a list of 10 skill sets the Huffington Post suggests you should master in order to succeed at just about anything.

How much Does Your State Volunteer? - The Corporation for National and Community Service recently conducted a study on the rate of volunteerism nationwide. You may be shocked by the results.

Medical Myths Exposed - Every few years we hear about different things we should be incorporating into our daily routine. Here is a list of 7 myths you've probably heard that are either untrue or lack scientific support.

Be a Green Dancing Machine - Dancing isn't just for fun anymore. Start trying to save the environment one step at a time. Green Nightclubs are opening up worldwide.