Friends,

Last Week’s  e-mail
I wrote a really informative e-mail last week and I understand many people didn’t receive it.  If you didn’t get it, please read it on our website by clicking here.  Links to Alison’s nutrition program are posted there as well as a lot more important information about “What’s Next” at MS-Just Keep Moving, Inc.  There are some more nice pictures on it too.

Group Cardio and Balance programs are starting this week
Research shows that MS responds well to cardio exercise.  I’ve experienced that first had for the last 23 years.  Many of us have issues with balance.

We are adding group fitness classes to our weekly schedule of events! Group fitness classes are taught by Kate and will be 30 minutes long. These classes are aimed to get everyone exercising together. We’ll need help from volunteers before and after the aerobic class on Wednesday to get members on and off equipment. All are welcome to join.

Wednesday 7/26 10-10:30am: aerobic exercise
Location: in the big room using aerobic equipment in front of big TV
Pick your favorite piece of equipment to use, bring a water, and arrive a few minutes early to get the equipment set up to your height. 

Friday 7/28: balance training and core strengthening
Location: Break room with kitchen
10-10:30 am: seated balance class
10:30 – 11am: standing balance class
Pick the class you feel most able and comfortable participating in. We will have chairs set up to sit on and/or use for balance support. 

Email Kate at kborn1234@gmail.com with any questions.

Friday Morning Bike Ride
Last week we were on our bikes and got out of the parking lot a little earlier…WELL DONE!  These rides are awesome!  If you haven’t experienced them yet this year and can ride, please join us.

Let’s leave the parking lot a little earlier again this week.  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!

We’ll be meeting Friday morning 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.

Again, for those 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.

Inspired by Firefighters
Last week Diane showed us a video of some firefighters having some fun with a balance ball.  Ask Diane to see the video.

Pete and Jeff thought they would give it a try.  Fun!

Educational Sessions

This Friday, July 28th – Tom Holtackers will have a second session on emotional health as we live with MS.  We can all use a little help with learning how to deal with living with MS…I know I can.  It’s not easy to live with.  We need to make the best of it.

Friday, August 11th – Peixun Zheng from University of Illinois – Chicago will be doing a presentation on a study that was funded by the National MS Society.  It will be on Healthy Aging Through Lifestyle with MS.  I hope you will join us and I hope some of our local friends from the National MS Society will join us for this presentation as well.  It’s good to see our fundraising efforts for the National MS Society being put to good use.

Friday, August 25th – To be determined

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

MS Bike Ride – August 5th and 6th
This is coming right up…exciting!  If you want to ride and haven’t signed up yet, there’s still time to do so.  You’re welcome to sign up on our Peppy Pedaler’s team.  Our team continues to grow each week.  We now have over 50 people signed up on our team and some of these are people living with MS.  We’ll have fun on this ride!

Here’s the link to sign up on our Peppy Pedaer’s Team  https://mssociety.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&teamID=33945

If you’d be willing to support me on this ride by making a donation to the National MS Society, you can do this on my personal page.  Here’s the link…thank you in advance for your support!  https://mssociety.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=232246

It’s critical we continue to support the National MS Society and all the research and programs they fund.  Thanks to all who have supported us in the past.  I’m proud and thankful to say that our Peppy Pedaler’s team has already raised over $1,000,000.00.  Yes, that’s over one million dollars as of last year.  Thank you for your support!

This year…THANKS to all who have donated supporting someone on our Peppy Pedaler’s Team, we have raised $36,539.00 so far.  That’s excellent…THANK YOU!

It’s critical for all of us living with MS that we continue to support research so that perhaps one day, we’ll have more answers for MS.  These answers are going to come from research.  The National MS Society funds the research we need.  Let’s do our part by supporting the National MS Society.

Join us on August 11th at the gym so you can experience first hand some of the research the National MS Society has funded as a result of our fund raising efforts.  I’m confident Peixun’s presentation will be beneficial to many of us living with MS.

 

Day of Endurance Journey – Progress – Let’s share!
When?  August 26, 2023
Where?  Naga-Waukee Park, Delafield, WI
What?  Let’s do what we can.  If you haven’t decided what you’re going to do yet, I encourage you to do something.  Hopefully, next year, you’ll be able to do more than this year.  We will have people swimming, biking, running, walking, rolling in wheelchairs and anything else we can do.  We also need lots of cheerleaders and volunteers.  Please engage and help make it a fun and inspirational event.

Why?  To build friendships and exercise into our lifestyle year around and stay ahead of our MS the best we can.  Personally, I know I need something BIG on my calendar to keep me motivated and to give me daily reasons to be with friends and exercise.

If there’s an event I would like to see grow year after year, it would be our “Day of Endurance”.  It’s a little strange to say that because we haven’t even done it yet and there’s not another event out there anything like it.  Let’s create it!

Please share your progress by recording it on the board at the gym.  We have some amazing and inspirational progress being made physically along with mentally and emotionally.

Each two-week period, let’s record our longest distance or time of each event we’re working toward for the “Day of Endurance”.  Along with that, let’s share a few words about how we felt after our long event for the two-week period leading up to the day of endurance on August 26th.  That’s it!

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

Let’s enjoy our journey…together!

Let’s get together!
We’ll be getting together 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, August 4th.  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!

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 407 members.  That’s awesome!   https://www.facebook.com/groups/2639832389489709

Our Facebook page is very active and fun.  Lots of people are doing more and sharing their journey on Facebook.  Feel free to join, post and share your experiences and comments.

There were some awesome pictures, videos and comments shared again this past week.  Thank you to all who are sharing!

Thai Massage with Ricky Heldt
Ricky will be here Wednesday and Friday doing Thai Massage.

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 benefits and relief.

Ricky has a sign up board 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.  I didn’t get out with my camera too much this week.  We did have a turkey and some broods crossing the road in front of our house.  We were thankful they didn’t get run over.

We also had a sandhill crane getting very comfortable in our front yard.

They are beautiful birds.  I’ve been getting closer and closer to them.  I almost have this one eating corn out of my hand.

For those 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.