Last week was an interesting week seeing and hearing about people doing some things that might seem to be challenging. Itās amazing what can happen when people help people and get a little creative on how to get people to do challenging things. So, what am I talking about? Have you tried waterskiing lately? How about riding bike when it doesnāt seem like itās possible?
It sounds like Todd, Joan and John had opportunities to go waterskiing last week with Damien, Tony and some other friends that made this possible. Watch this video that John shared with me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YdwQ0LrxI4&t=4s Yes, thatās John skiing on a ski with a chair. He did really well didnāt he? Nice splash John! Thanks for showing us whatās possible with some help from some friends. Johnās comment: āThat was big fun!ā
We had a lot of fun on our Friday morning bike ride last Friday morning as we had five people on trikes.
Last week I wrote about facing our fears. As I was riding alongside Carol, I asked her how sheās doing. She responded āIām terrifiedā as she was squeezing the brakes as much as she was pedaling. She wasnāt kidding, she was terrified but she still had a huge smile on her face and loved being on a bike powering it all by herself. I just love it when people try things they are afraid of and then do them. Itās going to be fun to see the progress these people make between now and the MS bike ride next summer. I hope youāll join us to be part of the fun.
Speaking of trying new things, Rhonda is taking on a real challenge.
Unfortunately, many of us cannot run. Rhonda is a fortunate person with MS that can run. So, what is she doing? Sheās attempting to run every day for an entire year. She already has 192 consecutive days in the book. She usually runs 3-4 miles per day. She says she thinks of all of us that canāt run on every run. So, what does Rhonda want to do? She wants to run the rest of the year for all of us. Sheās going to run for a cause and she says she wants the cause to be our MS-Just Keep Moving group. Letās do our part to cheer Rhonda on. Way to go Rhondaā¦nice job!
Linda will be doing another alcohol paint class on Friday morning. I hope youāll be able to join her. Do you want to hear some more good news that Linda shared with me? Well, you remember Wendy who brought her horse here a while back? Heās the news Linda shared with me about Wendy: āHorse Power Healing Center won WTMJ’s nonprofit contest ($1000) and they were out filming this morning. The segment will air next Tuesday, Sept 3, on The Morning Blend, around 9am. I know we have some horse fans at the gym!ā Thatās awesome and well-deserved! Congratulations!
Letās ride again Friday morning @ 7:00am. We meet at Nettesheim Park on the SE corner of Hwy SS and Oak Street in Pewaukee. If you would like to ride a tandem or a trike, please let me know ahead of time so we bring one for you. I hope youāll join us! We will not ride if itās raining.
We all need to āJust Keep Movingā! It doesnāt matter where we start. We can start with laughing which is great exercise in itself. Other than that, we start with the body parts that will move and keep moving them as much as we can. Let them rest and then move them again.
I know there are still many of us going through other life challenges in addition to our challenges with MS. Letās stick together, keep our chins up and keep sharing our journey. Better days are ahead. For those of you who havenāt been able to make it by us on Wednesdays and Fridays lately, please know you are missed and in my thoughts and prayers. I hope youāre able to make it back soon!
I hope youāll join us both Wednesday and Friday again this week. Rememberā¦consistency is key. With MS, it takes a lot of consistent effort every day to make small improvements. Yes, itās frustrating so be patient and consistent and youāll be amazed how your quality of life will continue to improve. Itās been about 17 years of exercising just about every day for me and Iām still making improvements (encouragement, love, support, nutrition and proper rest help immensely too). It takes time so please be patient. It sure is better than MS getting worse. I really donāt know what my life would be like if I didnāt do this (nor do I want to find out). Iām so thankful you are all joining me on this journey of making progress with our MS and quality of lifeā¦THANK YOU! Weāll continue to learn togetherā¦thereās so much power in the love and support we all share with each other.
In the past, Iāve been telling you to bring a friend. Unfortunately, weāre going to need to start a waiting list for new people. Please feel free to continue to share your experience and what weāre doing together. Let me know of anyone who would like to join us. Iāll communicate with these people through e-mail or phone and help them any way I can. When we have room for them to join us, Iāll encourage them to do that. If youāve joined us in the past, please continue to join us.
We are here to help you and anyone with MSā¦no strings attached (well maybe an occasional story about the progress youāre making, smile, high five or a hug). I remember how challenging life used to be when my MS was bad. I get great joy sharing what Iāve learned and feel blessed with the progress Iāve made. I hope you make progress in some way too!
Place:Ā W228N791 Westmound Dr.
Waukesha, WI
When:Ā Wednesday morning from 9:30am ā 12:30pm (open gym concept, come for all or part of it)
Friday morning from 9:30 ā 12:30pmĀ (open gym concept, come for all or part of it)
Dan Erschen