Friends,
Yes, it’s going to be cold this week
Is it too cold to exercise? Outside…perhaps. No, it’s not too cold to exercise indoors. MS doesn’t take a break in cold weather so neither do we in our fight to stay ahead of it. We are here for you. Let’s keep moving despite the cold. Just dress warm and be careful getting here.
Friday morning spin class
Despite the frigid weather we had last week, it was great to see so many people engaging in Mike’s spin class.
I still don’t know if it’s Mike everyone loves or his fun music and exercises. Well, I guess I do, it’s Mike and the rest of the people who show up. His music is great too. There are a few bikes left, let’s fill them up. 😊
Day of Endurance training journey kickoff this week
Our Day of Endurance event is Saturday, August 29th this year at Naga-Waukee Park in Delafield, WI.
Training starts now. This journey is created to give all of us something BIG to train for. A good way to stay ahead of our MS year after year is to have something BIG on our calendar to work toward…together. This is a powerful journey that we encourage people with MS, family members, friends, our volunteers, etc. to train together towards. The goal is we each do a little better than we did last year. If this is your first year, we encourage you to start training now and do all you can on that day. Whatever you do this year will be your goal for next year.
It doesn’t matter what our mobility level is. We start where we are and gradually build up to do what we can do together on August 29th, which includes a picnic.
Since we’re all at different mobility levels, a good training program consists of doing our daily exercises and then incorporate one long day each week. It’s only the one long day we gradually increase each week. If we start now and gradually increase one day each week, we tend to be pleasantly surprised by August.
Please come to the presentation we have on Friday for more details, share some stories of past accomplishments, receive our training log sheets, and get our training off to a great start…together.
We highly encourage people to buddy up with friends and family members they can train with consistently. It does not need to be the same person or people each day. Mix it up…have some fun. This is an opportunity to do something active with different people each day.
Arts for MS Program – Let’s engage!
MILWAUKEE – Danceworks is excited to announce spring programming for the Arts for Multiple Sclerosis (Arts for MS) program, thanks to a new grant award. This iteration of the programming is funded in part by a $5,000 grant from Arts Midwest through its GIG Arts and Wellness program. This award supports professional artists leading workshops with a focus on wellness and healing.
Arts for MS was born out of a collaboration with Dr. Alexander Ng of Marquette University’s Physical Therapy Department. Dr. Ng began researching the benefits of dance for persons with Multiple Sclerosis in 2013. His research found that dance improved quality of life, cognitive function, and MS Functional Composite scores.
Over the last 10 years, Danceworks’ Teaching Artists have worked closely with Dr. Ng to develop classes for persons with MS. The goal of these dance classes is to promote physical activity, wellness, and health. Physical activity is known to be safe and effective for health, wellness, and disease management in MS. At the same time, there is increasing evidence of the importance of the arts for the health and well-being of everyone. To this end, Danceworks is pleased to offer programming in group singing and visual/participatory art in addition to dance.
We have chosen to work with local artist Nadia Alkhun and her collaborative gallery, Nadianartgallery, because of the profound connection between her creative work and the lived experience of individuals with chronic illness including multiple sclerosis. This partnership is rooted in a shared vision of wellness, community, and the integration of art and science as a means of healing, expression, and connection. We are also excited to have partnered with Evelyn Pollock, a speech pathologist and former professional opera singer who will lead the group singing.
While these classes are geared toward persons with MS, Danceworks recognizes the important role that friends, family members, and caregivers play and strongly encourages them to participate to support their loved ones and build community. Most importantly, these classes are fun! Participants of all ages will find the classes to be unique, inspiring, and designed to put a smile on your face.
“I am privileged to be part of this unique and exciting arts and wellness program offered by Danceworks. I am unaware of any other community-based opportunities like this and hope that people with MS, their friends, and families are able to take advantage of this tremendous opportunity to improve physical, emotional, and social health and well-being,” said Dr. Ng.
A variety of classes will be offered free of charge at Danceworks’ new location, 325 W. Walnut Street. Classes will take place from 6:30–7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. Offerings will include a variety of dance and other art forms, including calming contemporary, partnered social, and ballet-based dance, as well as group singing and visual art. A culminating celebration will take place on May 1st for all participants and community members.
The first class on January 26 will be an open house–style event featuring mini social dance lessons, an opportunity to tour the space, socialize, and ask questions. Pre-registration for all sessions is not required but is highly recommended (linked here for digital readers). For more information, ways to get involved or to register, please visit the schedule on Danceworks’ website at www.danceworksmke.org or reach out to jcook@danceworksmke.org.
Live Music – Dance – Bounce – Roll – Wiggle – Party
Chuck and his band, The Gray Boys will be at the gym live and in person to entertain us.
When: Friday, January 30th from 11:00am – 1:00pm.
Yes, we will clear off the dance floor, have some snacks and enjoy their music. Save some energy to dance or move anyway you want. Let’s have some fun!
If you come via ride service, please consider having them pick you up at 1:00pm this day so you can enjoy the band longer.
Thank you, Chuck, and The Gray Boys, for offering to do this for us! I’m looking forward to it 😊
No Regrets – Saturday, February 7th
An opportunity for the men of MS-Just Keep Moving. Please join us on Saturday, February 7, 2026 to watch “Livestream” (on the BIG TV) the No Regrets Men’s Conference. The event starts at 8:00 AM and ends at 1:30 PM. This year’s theme is “Surrender”.
The event will feature group worship, compelling messages from leading pastors and teachers, testimonies of how other men have done it and seminars on the topics of most interest to you. Take advantage of this day to avoid the distractions of life and renew your dependence on Christ, the solid rock on which we stand.
Here is a link to the event – No Regrets Men’s Conference – No Regrets Men’s Conference (noregretsconference.org)
There is no cost to attend the event, but if you would like lunch, the cost would be $10.00. Please let Cal, Larry, or Dan know if you plan to attend.
MS-Just Keep Moving Bowling Tournament Fundraiser
MS JKM Members, Volunteers and Supporters….The third annual winter fundraiser for our gym is fast approaching, February 21st and 22nd. The planning committee is hard at work to hold another very fun and successful event. We want to let you know how you can participate.
Bowling spots are filling quickly, in fact, Sunday is already full! If you would like to bowl, get your team together quickly and let Bob know.
We are looking for donation items for our raffle baskets. We will once again have the hundred dollar scratch off basket as well the booze wagon. If you have items you would like to donate. Please bring them into the break room at the gym. Please do not forget to fill out the donation form so we know who to thank.
Please contact Bob at the gym or at bandebeagles@wi.rr.com if interested in bowling.
Shoe Donations
We already filled two boxes and a couple bags. 😊 Thanks to everyone who is donating their shoes!
Do you have any shoes you can donate? Becky Thomas is collecting old or new shoes supporting Soles for Jesus. These shoes will be distributed to people in need of shoes in Africa. She dropped off a box for us to drop them in. Please bring in shoes if you have any extras.
Nutrition Program
This week, Janine and the people at the Nutrition program had a discussion about gut microbiome. There’s so much research out there pointing to MS and other autoimmune diseases starting in the gut. I’m really excited about this information. This gets a little complicated and Janine will be reviewing it again as we go forward.
Here’s a link to the handout:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dq6dWlW6toYothfRZWu6qH5jl4VqYa32/view?usp=drive_link
Janine puts a lot into these presentations. It’s wonderful for her to share these presentations with those who can’t be here. It’s even more impactful for people who can be here in person to get the information first hand and be able to get questions answered and learn from others living with MS.
I would highly encourage you to engage in our nutrition program Monday mornings @ 9:00am so you can benefit at a high level. All are encouraged to come; people with MS, loved ones, care takers, volunteers, etc.
Thank you, Janine!
Coughs, colds, flus, etc. – Let’s not share
There are a lot of bugs going around. If you are experiencing any symptoms, please stay home and recover from them instead of sharing with the rest of us at the gym. We look forward to you getting over it and having you back quickly.
Member Spotlight – Collin Hendricks
Stories like Collin’s warm my heart. I’m so thankful he’s making so much progress in fall prevention. If we can help people fall less or fall safely, that’s a big accomplishment. One fall with an injury can set us back quite a ways, or even be life changing.
Ed and Adam’s Podcast
Adam and Ed didn’t make a podcast last week so you can listen to the week before again if you need your Adam and Ed fix. Last week, they had a nice conversation with Cal Newby. Conversations with Cal are always fun and somewhat intriguing.
Here’s the link:
A Conversation with Cal by Positive Vibes Living with MS
Thanks Adam, Ed and Ava for doing these podcasts together!
Let’s get together!
We’ll be getting together from 8:00am – noon on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at the gym. Plus, Monday evenings from 4:00pm – 7:00pm and Tuesday afternoons for the aquatics program. I hope you’ll join us!
Where:
Wisconsin Metal Parts – Westmound Building
MS-Just Keep Moving, Inc.
W228N791 Westmound Drive
Waukesha, WI 53186
Exercise 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 Wednesdays and Fridays to get members on and off equipment. All are welcome and encouraged to join…friends with MS, volunteers, and caregivers.
Monday Mornings
6:30am – 8:00am – Rebounding – Total Body Functional Fitness and Stretching
8:00am – 9:00am – Rebounding – Gentle Functional Fitness and Balance
9:00am – Nutrition Program – Friends with MS, caretakers and volunteers are encouraged to engage.
9:00am – Noon – Open gym and Neubie use for independent members, or those who come with a care partner.
9-10:00am: Neubie and personal training
10-11am – Group stretching class
10-10:15am Chair stretch
10:15-10:30am Standing balance and stretch
10:30-10:45am Core work on the mat
10:45 – 11:00am: Stretching on the mat
11:00-12:00pm: Neubie and workout recovery (stretch and massage)
Monday evenings (open gym from 4:00pm – 7:00pm)
5:00 pm: High intensity interval training (HIIT)
5:30 pm: Standing balance
6:00 pm: Seated balance
Tuesday Mornings
6:30am – 8:00am – Rebounding – Total Body Functional Fitness and Stretching
TBD – 10:00 – 11:00? – Rebounding – Gentle Functional Fitness and Balance
Tuesday afternoons
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm: Aquatic exercise program held at Wildwood Lodge – Pewaukee
2:00 pm – 2:45 pm: Aquatic exercise program held at Wildwood Lodge – Pewaukee
Wildwood Lodge has a lift available to get people in wheelchairs in and out of the pool safely
Wednesdays
6:30am – 8:00am – Rebounding – Total Body Functional Fitness and Stretching
8:00am – 8:30am – Rebounding – Gentle Functional Fitness and Balance
8:30am – 9:00am: 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.
9:30am – 10:00am: Seated Balance
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.
10:30am – 11:00am: Seated and/or standing stretching, strength, and balance with Ricky
11:00am – noon: Prayer Group
Thursdays
6:30am – 8:00am: Rebounding – Total Body Functional Fitness and Stretching
TBD – 10:00 – 11:00? – Rebounding – Gentle Functional Fitness and Balance
8:30am – 11:00am Outdoor walking – contact Joan, Pam or Dan to find out where we’re walking.
Fridays:
6:30am – 8:00am – Rebounding – Total Body Functional Fitness and Stretching
8:00am – 8:45am – Rebounding – Gentle Functional Fitness and Balance
8:45am – 9:30am – Spin Class – Starting December 12th, Mike Beiermeister will host a winter spin class starting at 8:45am. The class is 45 minutes in duration and meets in the front room with the spin bikes.
9:30 – 10:00am: High intensity interval training (HIIT) body weight circuit class. Great for those who aren’t attending Friday morning bike rides and want to get their heart pumping! Geared to intermediate to advanced ability level. Class may be indoors or outdoors depending on weather. Find Dr Kate at the start of the class time.
10:00 – 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 Dr Kate Kern at kborn1234@gmail.com with any questions.
Friday Morning Bike Rides
We had a great season of bike riding from spring until fall. We are done for the season.
Let’s think spring so we can get back out there again! Until Spring…Let’s Bounce 😊 Check out our rebounding opportunities.
Research Needs us!
Marquette University, UW Milwaukee, University of Illinois, and Carroll University have research opportunities they would like us to engage in. We have flyers and more information about these opportunities at the gym and inserted below. Please engage in these opportunities if you qualify. You could make improvements yourself and you could be helping so many other people with MS as they face their challenges. We really need to get this MS thing figured out and you can help by engaging in these research opportunities.
Please note: Researchers at UW-Milwaukee changed the age limit on this study from 60 year old max to 70 years old so more of our friends with MS could participate. If you’re under 70 years old, please consider engaging in this research so we can help figure out how to keep our hands working longer…and get $30.00.
You get paid $180.00 to do this one and it’s all done online.
Educational Sessions
This Friday 1/23/2026 – 11:00am – 12:00pm: Day of endurance kick off. Mark your calendars, our Day of Endurance is August 29th this year. We will listen, answer any questions and explain what the journey of the Day of Endurance is all about and get the journey kicked off. Please be present because we want you to benefit from this journey as much as possible.
Friday 1/30/26 11:00 – 1:00pm: Live Music
Chuck Scherwinski and his band, The Gray Boys, are playing a private show just for the MS-Just Keep Moving community. Significant others, friends, and family are welcome to rock out, dance, wiggle, bounce, roll and have some fun with us!
If you come by a ride service, please consider having them pick you up at 1:00pm this day so you can enjoy the band longer.
Wednesday, February 4th 10:30am – 11:00am: Wednesday bi-annual volunteer meeting
Friday, February 6th 11:00 – 12:00pm: Friday bi-annual volunteer meeting
Friday, April 10th 11:00 – 12:00pm: Sarah Stauder, MD in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Aurora Health Care will talk to us about the wheelchair clinic that she runs out of the Aurora and Froedtert health care systems. At the wheelchair clinic, patients are seen by a provider, a physical therapist, and the wheelchair vendor. They determine what type of wheelchair would be best for the patient and order it through the vendor, going through the patient’s insurance. Patients can receive a wheelchair or mobility device through insurance once every 5 years, sometimes sooner if disease progresses. Then the wheelchair vendor (usually National Seating & Mobility or Numotion) coordinates the delivery of the wheelchair and any further repairs/needs.
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 Dr Kate, Joan, Traci, Ricky or Dan know.
Prayer Group We’ll be having our prayer group Wednesday from 11:00am – noon.
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 this Friday, February 6th, 2026. 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 at 667 members. That’s awesome! https://www.facebook.com/groups/2639832389489709
Our Facebook page is 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!
Metals for MS
Thank you to all who brought in aluminum cans, gutters, copper, brass, etc. Please keep bringing them in…you are helping us. Our total is $1,926.63 for the first nine months. That’s really good!
Parking
If you are able-bodied and willing to park across the street in the Acuity lot so people with mobility challenges can park in our lot, please do so. We want to make it easy for people with mobility challenges to park and get into our building safely. Thank you for doing that!
Gym Open and Close Procedure
If you’re the first to come or the last to leave the gym, please use this procedure for opening and shutting down.
Open and closedown procedures.docx
Thai Massage with Ricky and Nyani
Ricky will be here on Wednesdays doing Thai Massage.
Nyani will be here on Fridays doing Thai Massage
Our goal is to serve as many people who come to the gym consistently as we can with these Thai Massage services. Going forward we will be doing a rotational schedule to accommodate as many people as we can who need and want a massage.
There are some guidelines written up at the gym. Please respect the guidelines so we can serve as many people as we can. Please sign up according to the guidelines.
Here’s a link to the guidelines: Thai Massage at MS-Just Keep Moving
Reiki on Fridays
Reiki is available at the gym, for FREE on Fridays with Linda C, 9:30am until noon. Sessions typically last 20-30 minutes. Sign up for a session on the white board.
Reiki (ray-kee) relaxes the body so that healing can occur! The “magic” of Reiki has helped some of our members with pain, insomnia, constipation, and so much more! Try it the next time you are at the gym!
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 and take action.
Let’s keep moving, smiling, and loving 😊 It helps in many ways!
In God We Trust…we are in good hands.
Dan
Our Website: http://msjustkeepmoving.org/
P.S. It was pretty cold out this week but I still got out in nature and saw some nice variety. Early Sunday morning, I was heading out at sunrise and saw this beautiful sunrise by St Charles Church in Hartland.
Here’s what our Day of Endurance bike route by Oconomowoc Lake looks like in the winter time after a fresh snowfall. Beautiful!
When the sun was rising, these swans looked nice out there with the steam coming off the water.
This one was just happy to get up and get going
Then I had a bald eagle do a fly by over the swans
They sure seem happy in the cold weather…my fingers got cold.
I had nice lighting, even the snow looked nice when the warm light hit it as the sun came up
This eagle looked cold. It’s kind of hard to believe a person can find this much wildlife right here locally.
These ducks were having a nice conversation with each other.
The fresh snow makes great pictures
A friend of mine let me know about a snowy owl spotted in Oak Creek. I didn’t know if I would be able to find it or not but thought I would give it a try. Personally, I thought it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. When I got there, there were about 20 photographers standing in one spot pointing their cameras in the same direction. I thought hmmm…that was easy to find. It sure is a beautiful bird. It’s the first one I ever saw in my lifetime. I got lucky.
I wish it would have flown toward me instead of away from me.
For those who cannot get out and enjoy nature due your challenges with MS…my heart is with you. You are with me every time I am 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.
