Looking for suggestions on how to get inspired for the Kansas City AIDS Walk? Of course you are, and I’ve got some ideas to get you ready for the big day.

The first is to head to your local high school on one of these fine April evenings and take in an athletic event. You have plenty of choices on the spring schedule, from baseball, to track, to softball and more.

Settle in on those aluminum bleachers and let the energy and excitement wash over you from those adolescent warriors. Let them show you how much darn tootin’ fun it can be to combine physical competition with keeping a most excellent physique. Walk away excited and ready for your very own event at AIDS Walk this year!

Want more inspiration? Talk with former participants in charity athletic events. You’ll hear the reasons that people choose to take part in these cardiovascular feats. Some get involved for health reasons, and some get involved to keep the memory of a loved one alive, and some get involved just for the challenge of the whole thing. Everyone who participates in these events has a reason, and you can find yours, too. AIDS Walk 2014 allows you to fill in the blank with just the right answer for you.

Even your couch and the television can assist you in your inspiration-gathering. Click your way to Netflix for a past episode of The Biggest Loser. Hear the contestants’ stories as they balance the battles they wage against the other contestants and those that they wage within themselves. It makes for riveting and emotional TV.

Everyone has a story to tell about their struggles and everyone has their dreams and goals. Show up on April 26 with your very own goal, and share in the stories of all those affected by HIV and AIDS.

Or you could climb up into the attic and dust off that hoary 11th grade yearbook. Remember what it was like to have that slimmer waistline and to be able to fit into that size 6 dress. Those were the days when you had that killer body and you weren’t afraid to use it for all the wrong reasons!

Use those awesome memories as your inspiration to get you back into respectable shape for the next reunion. And use the AIDS Walk as a starting point for this great transformation.

Finally, start poking around your closet. How cool would it be to have a new wardrobe? Imagine sashaying in to work with catwalk confidence and unveiling a renovated body clothed in amazing new styles. I’d say that’s a pretty good reason to knock off some pounds. Several new outfits and envious stares can be very inspirational to get into shape. Sign up for AIDS Walk and order that event T-shirt one size too small … and then begin working your way into the perfect fit over the next several months.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 26, and set your navigational system for Theis Park. Registration for AIDS Walk begins at 8 a.m. that day, but your inspiration starts right now. Make it happen!

This wellness article is brought to you by that guy who has been alive longer than he has been dead. That man of immortality is Ron Blake and he can be found perched atop a cactus in the Arizona desert.