Friends,

I hope you had a nice Easter and are enjoying this Easter season.

The Seder Meal was a special and different time together last Thursday.  Thanks to Mike Kee for leading this and thanks for everyone who prepared all the food.  It was a very educational, refreshing and spiritual experience.  Tasty too!

We’re finally getting some nice weather.  Joe and Rich both took a ride outside on our new Grit chair under their own power.  Nice job Joe!

Nice Job Rich!

A huge thanks goes out to our amazing volunteers who make this possible along with everyone who has financially donated to MS-Just Keep Moving, Inc.  You are making this possible…we’re thankful!

We’re looking forward to getting more people out on this as the weather allows us to go outside more often.  If you want to get out for a ride on it, please let our volunteers know and we’ll do our best to get you out on it.

Indoor Triathlon this Thursday @ 10:00

We have 12 of our friends with MS that have been training hard for the past six weeks for the indoor triathlon at Westwood Health and Fitness in Pewaukee.

You are welcome and encouraged to come cheer them on as they do their indoor triathon.  We could also use 12 volunteers to help record their progress.  Please see me if you’re willing to volunteer and we’ll have you record the results for all three events…biking, walking / running and swimming for one person.  I hope you’ll join us!

If you’re doing the triathlon, please encourage your family and friends to come experience this with you and cheer you on.  It’s a fun event!

Please have your friends and family come a little early as they’ll need to sign a waiver on the way in.  There will be a Westwood representative in the hallway as you enter the facility with the waivers.

Let’s Dance!

Our next dance program is Thursday evening @ 7:00PM at Marquette University.  Thanks to Dr Ng from Marquette University for bringing dance opportunities to our MS community!  I would highly encourage anyone that can engage in these opportunities Dr Ng and volunteers are making possible to do so.

These are free for people with MS.  I hope you will participate and have some fun!  Please respond to exercisewellness@marquette.edu or call 414-288-3582 if you can make it so they know how many people to plan for.  Let’s dance!

Thrivent

Thanks to Julie, MS-Just Keep Moving, Inc. is now set up on Thrivent.  Here’s a message from Julie about this:

Attention Athletes & Volunteers!

MS Just Keep Moving, Inc. is now on the Thrivent Financial list of nonprofit organizations where members can allocate Choice dollars to. Also, Thrivent Action Teams can now be done for MS Just Keep Moving, Inc.. So if you are a member of Thrivent or know someone who is, you can inform them that MS Just Keep Moving, Inc. can be selected and will receive Choice and Action Team funds. Thank you!

Julie Solie

Thank you for doing this Julie!

High School theme day coming up  – Wednesday, April 19th 

Road Trip to Illinois anyone?

Lori Svenson from Yoga Moves MS sent me an invitation to share to an MS event they are putting on in the Chicago area on Saturday, April 22nd .  Perhaps some of us could car pool together and take a road trip to it.  Here’s a flyer on the event.  Many of you remember Dr Robert Motl that came to our gym a while back.  I really liked him!

You can also experience this virtually by registering here.

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3110270333888068189?source=eblast

I’m registered and looking forward to it.  I love their line up of speakers.

Day of Endurance Journey – Progress

Another two weeks is coming up this Sunday, April 16th.  Time is flying and people are making progress.  It’s so awesome to see!  Please record and share your progress on the board at the gym or send me your progress and I’ll record it for you.

MS-Just Keep Moving, Inc.
Day of Endurance Journey
Progress sharing board
January 1, 2023 – August 26, 2023

Please keep in mind this board is only measuring our physical progress and only our longest distance or time.  There are so many other ways we will make progress by engaging in this journey that are hard to measure but way more impactful than our physical progress.

  • Emotional – Feelings of anxiety or depression can be improved upon – we feel good when we’re engaging in this and gain a greater sense of accomplishment and self-worth
  • Mental – cognitive challenges and memory can be improved – many studies show this
  • Social – Creates opportunities to get together and be active with friends and create new friends and relationships
  • Community – Brings us all together with a common worthwhile goal
  • Fun – This is FUN   Let’s keep that in mind as we’re finishing our long days of training
  • Sharing – This is an opportunity for us to share with each other and the larger population of people living with MS.  By us sharing, newly diagnosed people with MS may have a totally different outlook on living with MS than if we didn’t share.  This also goes for loved ones of people living with MS.
  • Gratification – Let’s be thankful for what we “can do” and the people we get to do it with – powerful!
  • Spiritual – Let’s give thanks to God for bringing us all together the way He does and for being with us every step of the way.  Who knows what He has in mind for us next?  I don’t know; however, I trust it’s going to be good in ways we can’t even envision or measure.  Let’s do our part to open our minds, open our hearts and allow God into our lives instead of resisting Him.  Let’s do our part to carry out His plan for us even if it is totally different than our plan.  I know I didn’t plan on getting MS and then having the courage, will and strength to make the best of it.  In God We Trust.

Instructions to fill out the board is real simple:

Each two-week period, record your longest distance or time of each event you’re working toward for the “Day of Endurance”.  Along with that, let us know in two or three words how you felt after your long event for the two-week period leading up to the day of endurance on August 26th.  That’s it!

Each two-week period, try to do just a little more than the last two-week period and record (share) it again.

Let’s enjoy our journey…together!

Rest, Recovery and Safety

We’ll be having biweekly workshops that focus on achieving our fitness goals and preventing injuries.  They will be the 2nd and 4th Fridays from 11am – 12pm.  Please join us for hands on activities and learn how to rest, recover and stay safe.

Upcoming Topics:

April 14th – Ricky Heldt – Assisting one another with stretching.  This is a great way to learn simple stretches to help one another.  Let Ricky know if you want to be a stretch model or learn to stretch and get some hands-on practice.  We will do our best to match everyone up and plenty of room to observe.  Ricky will be leading this session and will not be doing massages during this time.  Please plan accordingly.

April 28th – Kate Born from Marquette University will be doing a presentation on exercise guidelines

Kate hopes to cover:

  1. General exercise and physical activity guidelines for people with MS (with emphasis on needs for rest too)
  2. Tools for how to assess exercise intensity
  3. Tools for how to assess fitness progression (i.e. through simple tests like a 2 minute walk test, sit to stand test, and muscle strength tests)
  4. Tools for how to make and formulate fitness goals
  5. Activities to do during rest days, how to recover
  6. Review some basic exercises to target specific muscle groups or goals from audience

Future topics could include: emotional health, nutrition, yoga, tai chi, wellness topics, safe use of gym equipment for your body and more.  What topics would you like to see?  Please let Joan, Traci, Ricky or Dan know

Golf Outing June 30th

We are planning for our golf outing and we’re hoping you’ll help us come up with silent auction items and raffle basket items.  If you’re willing to donate an item or service or know someone that would, please either bring them to the gym or let Rick Talbert know about it.  We would appreciate your help with this…thank you in advance!

COVID

We didn’t have anyone test positive this past week.  I’m thankful!  It’s still around so let’s not let our guard down and do what we need to do to stay safe.

To all who have reported their positive testing to me…thank you for letting me know and for being socially responsible and staying away until your symptoms are all cleared up.  If you do come down with it, it’s important we let people know that you have been in close contact with so they can watch for symptoms and help stop the spread.

We’ve all been dealing with COVID long enough and are very well educated on it by now.  I’m not telling you what to do but I’d highly encourage you to wear a mask again if you haven’t had it recently.  Let’s make good choices and be safe.

Please stay home if you have any symptoms or know you’ve been exposed to someone with the virus.  Please don’t come until your symptoms go away.  Let’s also give each other some space when talking to one another and continue wiping the machines down before and after you use them with disinfectant.  Again…let’s be socially responsible and stay safe!

Let’s get together!

We’ll be getting together again from 9:00am – noon on Wednesday and Friday mornings at the gym.  I hope you’ll join us!

Wisconsin Metal Parts – Westmound Building

MS-Just Keep Moving, Inc.
W228N791 Westmound Drive
Waukesha, WI 53186

 

Prayer Group  We’ll be having our prayer group Wednesday @ 11:00am.

I just love the way we share, pray and laugh together while we witness prayers being answered weekly.  It’s truly amazing!

Thanks goes to God and to everyone that joins us.  Let’s get together to share, listen, talk, give thanks, and pray however God leads us.

MS Just Keep Caring – Our Caregivers support group will be the first and third Friday of each month from 10:00 – 10:30am.  The next one will be Friday, April 21st.  If you’re a caregiver of someone you love with MS, please join us and share your experience of caring for your loved one.  This has been very helpful for many.  Thanks to all who participate!

Friday Morning Bike Rides

Let’s ride this Friday!  The weather looks like it’s going to cooperate so let’s ride!

We’ll be meeting Friday mornings at 7:00am at Nettesheim Park in Pewaukee.  It’s on the SE corner of Hwy SS and Oak Street.  The GPS address is:  N26W27495 Prospect Ave, Pewaukee, WI 53072.  Come a little early so you can get your bike out of your car and be ready to ride as close to 7:00 as possible.  We’ll ride until about 8:45.  Let’s ride and have some fun!

For those of you who wish you could join us but can’t; please know we have you in our hearts on these rides.  We’re riding with you and for you.  I hope you too can join us someday.  We really need to get this MS thing figured out.  Let’s keep working on it together.

Our Facebook page is private.  That means you’ll need to join if you want access to all our fun and progress.  We’re now up to 353 members…awesome!   https://www.facebook.com/groups/2639832389489709

Our Facebook page is very active and fun.  Lots of people are doing more and sharing some of their journey on Facebook.  Feel free to join, post and share your experience and comments.  Thank you to all who are sharing!

There were some awesome pictures, videos and comments shared again this past week.

Thai Massage with Ricky Heldt

Ricky will be here Wednesday and Friday again this week doing Thai Massage.  Ricky says he is comfortable to work with you even if you’re not wearing a mask.  Ricky will continue to wear one to protect you.

Many continue making great progress with chronic pain relief, range of motion, walking better and a new sense of hope when Ricky works with them.  Please keep in mind that consistency is key.  Not only with Ricky…with exercise too.  We need consistency to realize the benefits long term.  We want you to have long term relief.

Ricky has a sign up sheet based on first come first serve.  You can pick the time slot that works for you.  I highly encourage you to take advantage of Ricky’s Thai Massages each day and sign up for your time slot as soon as you get there.

Reiki with Linda  Linda will be here on Fridays doing Reiki.  Many people say Linda’s Reiki work is “magical”.  We’re thankful for Linda sharing her gifts and talents to us.  Feel free to let Linda know you’d like to do Reiki with her.  She also has a sign up sheet.

Inspirational Humor with Adam Wollert 

We’ll be having our inspirational humor zoom call with Adam again next Tuesday.  Adam is a gift to all of us.  Thanks to all who joined us today!

Please join us if you can.

Tuesdays @ 1:30PM

Here’s the link to join us…I hope you do!

Join Zoom Meeting with this link

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9431389152?pwd=bWlYbFNaazVnM1M1cWxWMitlODdXUT09

Meeting ID: 943 138 9152

Passcode: 3qP2hu

Phone:   1-312-626-6799

 

Let’s reach out

I encourage you to share a smile and encouragement with someone.  Perhaps you could call someone that you have not talked with for a while just to say hi and see how they are doing.  We all could use a little extra love and encouragement.

MS is tough.  Let us have faith, remain calm, be flexible, help each other and learn as much as we can about the challenges of each day as we make good choices.

Let’s keep moving and smiling

In God We Trust…we are in good hands.

Dan

http://msjustkeepmoving.org/

P.S.   This past week I got lucky and had some nice photo opps again.  I was on a walk and wasn’t seeing any critters but I saw some nice light on some green grass so I thought I would take a picture of it and share it with you.  I know, grass isn’t that exciting

Other than the green grass, everything is still brown and not that attractive so I thought I would find something brown that was interesting before everything turns green again.  I thought this piece of grass was interesting.

So was this burr weed.  I guess we can find beauty everywhere if we look for it.

I did find some critters this week too.  Check out these Northern Shoveler ducks.

Here’s a coot that was fun to get close to

Oops…a little too close

There were lots of coots out there

I had a pelican fly in by me

A friendly beaver caught my eye too

We even saw a couple Trumpeter swans on the way home so I had to stop for picture

The turkeys have been active this week

They sure are beautiful birds when the light hits them just right.  I took this picture this morning with great light conditions.

Ok…that’s enough for this week.  Say bye bye to the turkeys

They’re even beautiful from the back when they’re all fanned out

For those of you who can’t get out and enjoy nature due your challenges with MS…my heart is with you.  You are with me every time I’m out there.  I enjoy being out there and I also enjoy sharing with you.  I know how hard it is not to be able to get out and enjoy nature.  Let’s enjoy nature and God’s beauty together this way.