Friends,
What if I stop?
As I’m doing the best I can staying ahead of my MS, many times, I ask myself some tough questions. I actually ask myself a lot of them but I will just share a few important ones relating to staying ahead of my MS.
- What would happen if I would stop ‘believing’ I can stay ahead of my MS?
- For me personally, I get called an eternal optimist quite often. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. I feel if I would stop ‘believing’ I can stay ahead of my MS with the lifestyle choices I make, it would be hard for me to stay optimistic. MS has a way of disrupting my life even when I do believe I can stay ahead of it. If it does take it’s toll over time, I know for me, it’s important to keep believing I can stay ahead of it. I know I can at least make the best of it. It is what it is, I need to do my part to make the best of it.
- What would happen if I would stop exercising daily?
- Before I started exercising daily, I could barley walk for a year and a half in 2000 and 2001. Since I started exercising daily about 23 years ago, I’ve been able to maintain my mobility and mindset quite well. During the times I’ve taken a few days off or had surgeries and had to recover, my MS seems like it wants to take back over in my body. First I get depressed, lose energy and my will to beat this gets defeated. Then my endurance and strength mentally and physically diminish quite rapidly…within days.
- For as long as I possibly can, I realize I need to keep exercising daily. At this point, stopping exercise is not an option for me. It takes priority early in the morning before I do anything else. I enjoy the energy and mobility I get to experience as a result of exercising daily. I feel it helps me more mentally and emotionally than it does physically and it helps a lot physically.
- What would happen if I wasn’t around other people with MS?
- If I didn’t have MS, I’m pretty sure I would answer this question differently. I’m not sure it would really matter if I was around other people with MS or not.
- Since I do have MS, I can’t even begin to express in words what it means to me to be around other people with MS. Around people who can truly relate to the challenges of living with MS. I love it! We have fun together. We challenge each other together. We are determined to beat this thing together. We learn together. We share so much love together.
- I don’t even want to think about what it would be like if I wasn’t around other people with MS. You all have made a huge impact in my life and continue to do so. THANK YOU for sharing your journey of living with MS with me and our MS-Just Keep Moving family. I love you all!
I could go on and on with these types of questions that pertain to staying ahead of my MS. Let’s go forward and make the best of it. What’s the alternative? Oh, there’s another question I ask myself quite often. I’m not going to answer that, let’s keep it positive and make the best of it…together.
Dianne Post update
I spoke with Phil, Dianne’s husband today. Unfortunately, Dianne is not seeming to make improvements. She’s still not able to eat or drink much. She is at home with Phil and he is giving her as much tender loving care as he can. Thanks Phil!
Phil says Dianne would appreciate visitors, he just asks to call or text him before you come so he can let the dogs out. If anyone wants to check on Dianne or text her a message, you can text or call Phil and he will get her the message. Phil would also welcome visitors. Here’s Phil’s contact info:
Phil Post
1425 Plainfield
Mount Pleasant, WI 53403
Cell: 262-498-5173
If you want to send Dianne a card, you can send it to that address as well. Let’s all keep Dianne and her family in our prayers. Thanks so much!
Bowling Tournament – This weekend!
Our bowling tournament is this weekend and it sounds like it’s going to be a great event. We only have 6 lanes left available at the 11:00am time slot on Saturday. Let’s see if we can fill them. The 2:00 time slots are all full and Sunday is full. If you’d still like to bowl or know someone that would, please do.
THANK YOU to all who are bowling and volunteering! Let’s have some fun with it and make it memorable.
For more information, please contact Bob Brandemuehl @ bandebeagles@wi.rr.com
Day of Endurance 2024 – August 24, 2024
I hope your training and journey is going well. I know we are training together at the gym on Wednesdays and Fridays. I hope you’re getting together with friends and family outside the gym the rest of the days of the week as well. We’ll get out of this journey what we put into it or at least what our MS and our bodies will adapt to. It takes consistency, patience and time.
Our next set of progress sheets should be turned in after 2-25-2024. We will be using your progress sheets to help you make progress as well as share with others with MS that may benefit from what we are doing as a journey.
It’s really important that we’re active and we enjoy the journey of training for the Day of Endurance…preferably together. I hope you can find some workout friends to enjoy this journey with. It can be others with MS, neighbors, family members, movie stars, it doesn’t matter. It really only takes one other person to have show up and do whatever you’re going to do each day together. You can pick different people different days.
Let’s make this a recreational adventure. A social adventure. A rewarding experience. And… “share” it. So, let’s start inviting friends and family members to join us on this journey and have some fun with it.
Please share your progress with Kate. Kate and Mike are working together to come up with a way to share our progress all year this year. I hope you’ll engage in the journey and make progress yourself.
Cardio and Balance Programs
These classes are aimed to get everyone exercising together. I like that word “together” 😊. We’ll need help from volunteers before and after the cardio class on Wednesday to get members on and off equipment. All are welcome and encouraged to join.
Wednesdays 10-10:30am: Cardio 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 bottle, and arrive a few minutes early to get the equipment set up to your height.
10:30 – 11:45am Tai Chi led by Ricky
Fridays: Head Yoga, Spin Classes, balance training & Core strengthening Classes
9:00am – 9:30am: Head yoga led by Anne Prestwor in the fireplace room
9:30am – 10:00am: Spin Class in front room led by Mike Beiermeister. Bikes are limited so this will be first come first served.
10-10:30 am: Seated balance class
10:30 – 11am: Standing balance class
Pick the class / classes 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
It’s going to be too cold this Friday…no ride. Let’s work hard indoors all winter so we’re ready to ride again in the spring.
Educational Sessions
This Friday, February 23 11:00am – noon. Meg Walker who is a physical therapist specializing in pelvic floor exercises which help our core strength, bladder issues, etc. Meg will be here to teach us some of these exercises
Friday, March 8th 11:00 – noon. Rob Multerer, President of the National MS Society – Wisconsin Chapter will be here with a couple of board members to discuss the National MS Society.
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 Kate, Joan, Traci, Ricky or Dan know
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, March 1, 2024. 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 475 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 on vacation this week and will not be here. He’ll be back next week.
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 with 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’s 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, loving and smiling 😊
In God We Trust…we are in good hands.
Dan
P.S. As I was out in nature this past week, it made me wonder if it’s winter or spring.
When I was walking on a lake, the leaves in the ice looked like they were trying to melt out first.
The pine trees looked confused but happy.
They were trying to figure out if they should let the snow and ice melt or not.
The milkweeds are handling the winter nicely.
I was trying to sneak up on an alert red-tailed hawk.
I finally got a little closer just as I was leaving. Beautiful bird!
We had another nice sunset in our backyard again this week.
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.