Friends,
MS-Just Keep Moving Phone number: 262-232-8552
New phone! The gym now has its own landline telephone. With four bases located around the gym, folks who need help in the parking lot can now call and request assistance. If you hear a phone ringing, please pick it up and get the right people to help.
Please add it to your contacts –> MS-Just Keep Moving (262) 232-8552
Clean, non-toxic ways to clean our homes and ourselves
Nichole Connolly, one of our members with MS, is hosting a four-part series about clean, non-toxic ways to clean our homes and ourselves. Last Friday, laundry was the topic. We discussed simple swaps for commercial brands that are better for us and the environment. You can see her presentation here:
Here are additional literature that she shared:
Handout :
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z8a2VcZiMnCepSig0i_fhsP29RFFSp2dhtmViwTIDc8/edit?usp=sharing
Google slide presentation:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1gZ83fNGoSAdIQpj8r91vmnhnYr73fPEruJ54DWE8idI/edit?usp=sharing
The next part of the series is this Friday – I hope you will engage in it and benefit from it.
Seated balance class – warmed my heart
It was awesome seeing how many people are engaging in the seated balance class last week. Dr Kate is doing a great job leading these and keeping people coming back. These classes wouldn’t be the same if people didn’t engage in them. Thank you to all who engage in these beneficial opportunities.
Thursday morning walking
We had our first outdoor walk last Thursday. It was awesome! We had a nice turnout for the first time out together. I really hope you all continue to come and others join us as well.
It feels like we are walking with Jesus. In many ways, I truly believe we are as He is with us always and works through all of us in many different ways.
We all had a great walk and found ways to get back together towards the end of the walk. Walking is not necessarily MS friendly. It’s interesting how our MS symptoms flare up when we walk for almost all of us. It goes from interesting to amazing as we keep doing it consistently as we build up for the Day of Endurance and our bodies adapt to it.
We will be doing our walks differently this year. This year, we will be starting at 9:00am and as it gets hotter, we will go a little earlier to beat the heat. We like to start and finish where there are bathrooms and water plus have bathrooms and water on the route. We will be starting at St Anthony’s Church parking lot and walking on the Lake Country Trail to start.
St Anthony’s Church
W280N2101 Prospect Avenue
Pewaukee, WI 53072
We want to be inclusive of people who want to do this so we will all be walking at the pace of the slowest person and when we have issues (falls, fatigue, MS Symptoms, etc.) we will deal with them as they happen and do what we need to do. Nobody will be left out there by themselves.
This will be a gradual build up process. We’ll see how it goes with whoever shows up and build up the mileage week after week as our bodies allow us to. What we’ve learned over and over is that our bodies adapt to what we are able to put them through. If we want to walk better, walking more helps.
How far will we walk? We will decide that each week depending upon who shows up and what the ability level of the group is, the weather, etc. If some people want to stop early, we will make that possible. Our goal is to gradually build up each week for the Day of Endurance on August 29th.
Family members, friends, volunteers, etc. are encouraged to join us. We will be starting a separate e-mail list for this. If you’d like to at least be on this e-mail list, please let me know. We’d like to have as many as we can join us so when people go on vacation, can’t be there, etc., the walks still go on.
We have a very nice walking path around the outside of our parking lot. One lap is .1 mile so ten laps is one mile. As the weather gets nicer, let’s get out there and make some laps together.
We will be keeping the people who would love to walk with us but physically can’t in our minds and hearts as we do these walks. Let’s walk for them.
Open Gym Clarification
Since Dr Kate Kern has joined us on a full-time basis, the gym is open to anyone with MS, family members and friends, and our volunteers Monday through Friday mornings from 7:00am – noon.
Please know that you can come and go as you please. You can work out on anything you want. You can engage in any of programs we are offering or you can do what you want. Our facility is here for you to use and benefit from however you are comfortable doing.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are a little quieter so if you’d like a little quieter experience, come on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you want to come all five days, you are welcome and highly encouraged to do that.
Golf Outing – Friday, June 26th
Good news about our golf outing…it’s full! Thank you to all who will be golfing in it and supporting it. We are so fortunate to have our friends from ePlatinum Health to put this on for us.
We still need to gather some nice raffle and silent auction items for the is event to give our golfing friends a great experience and to raise more money for our mission. There are sign-up sheets at the gym. If you are willing and able to donate something for the golf outing raffle or silent auction, please let us know. We are hoping for event tickets, experience opportunities, items for baskets, memorabilia, etc.
We are still looking for some sponsors who would like to get some great visibility and help our mission. If you know someone that would be willing to be a sponsor, please let us know that as well. Here’s a link for sponsorship. https://eplatinumhealth.com/ms-golf-outing/ We are THANKFUL for our sponsors.
Let’s get together – Open Gym plus programs!
We’ll be getting together from 7:00am – noon on Monday through Friday mornings at the gym. Plus, Monday and Wednesday evenings from 4:30pm – 6:30pm 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
Email Dr Kate Kern at kborn1234@gmail.com with any questions.
Exercise class schedule (to start 3/16/25). Feedback welcome to make this as best as it can be!
Nutrition Program
This week, Janine and friends at the Nutrition program talked about the Mediterranean Diet. They discussed the history and benefits of the Mediterranean Diet
If you are not engaging in our nutrition program, I would highly encourage you to at least read the handouts that Janine prepares for us each week and apply the information into your lifestyle.
Here’s a link to the full handout:
Nutrition: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10a5bLMxwprpVqGGfl-5xjJeZBtdAodLr/view?usp=sharing
Here’s a link to another helpful handout
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1G3-zEUA2mtttDAcJTdwEnMHq1g1pPgzN/view?usp=drive_link
Here’s a link to an article in the Milwaukee Journal a long time ago
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ryd5OW_QR5wXICxZB9J8yqaWuviP_cZD/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!
Let’s Develop a Cookbook
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 Friday, May 15th, 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!
Member Spotlight – Mike Beiermeister
Mike has been a consistent blessing to us for many years. He helps so many people in so many ways. Thanks Mike, for being such a big part of our MS-Just Keep Moving family!
Ed and Adam’s Podcast
Adam and Ed didn’t make a podcast last week.
The week before, Adam and Ed talked with JoAnn and about a recent MS episode Ed had.
Here’s the link:
Talking About An MS Episode by Positive Vibes Living with MS
Thanks Adam, Ed and Ava for doing these podcasts together!
Educational Sessions
CONTINUING THIS FRIDAY. Clean up your Spring cleaning! Nichole Connolly, one of our members with MS, will host a 4-part series covering simple, non-toxic, swaps to safely clean your home. This series will be held in the break room for education and demos.
May 1st 11:00am- 12:00pm – general cleaning and laundry products
May 8th 11:00am- 12:00pm – the kitchen
May 15th 11:00am- 12:00pm – the bathroom
May 29th 11:00am- 12:00pm – body products (skin care)
Friday, May 22nd 11:00am – 12:00pm: Dr. Obeidat, MD, PhD, at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, will share with us what being creative can do for brain physiology. Great follow up to Christina’s talk!
Wednesday, July 1st 9:00-10:00am: Joy Cochran, DPT, will review her demo of “how to fall” safely and effectively. We all fall, so let’s practice how to do it well!
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.
Day of Endurance Training
Event is Saturday, August 29,2026 – Training is now
What: Do what you can
- Consistent Daily Exercise
- One long day per week – increase each week – no more than 10% per week
- Buddy up and exercise together
- Enjoy the journey 😊
Friday Morning Bike Rides
It was too cold and raining last week. We didn’t ride.
Looking at the weather for this Friday, it looks like we will be able to ride. Watch your e-mail and Facebook to find out if we are riding or not. We will not ride if it is below 45 degrees at 7:00am.
If we ride, 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.
Come a little early so you can get your bike out of your car and be ready to ride as close to 7:00am as possible. We’ll ride until about 8:45. Let’s ride and have some fun!
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.
Shoe Donations
We already filled six boxes and quite a few 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.
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.
Dockhounds Game to benefit our MS-Just Keep Moving Mission – Save the date and get tickets
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. 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.
Here’s a research opportunity that Marquette University is doing for all of living with MS. I would highly encourage you to engage in this if you qualify.
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 687 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 year. That’s really good! We’re getting ready to take another load in.
Parking
If you are able-bodied and willing to park across the street in the Acuity Foam 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. There sure is a lot of activity out in nature now that spring is here. Even though it’s spring and warming up, we are still having some cold nights with frost. If you get out early in the morning before the sun warms it up, you can enjoy some frosty plants.
The wood ducks are protecting their homes at Nashotah Park
They sure are beautiful birds. I had some nice lighting early Saturday morning
I had fun watching the Eastern Bluebirds again this week
I didn’t know what kind of a duck this is. My phone let me know it’s a Canvasback. It’s always fun to learn more about nature when I come across something different.
It’s always nice to see God’s love in nature. These Pelicans were demonstrating that nicely at sunset
The bees are busy as flowers start to bloom. I love all the colors out in nature in the spring.
My wife, Bonnie let me know that there are some baby owls at Lapham Peak State Park. I didn’t know where they are and Lapham Peak is a pretty big park. Out of the blue, Gayle sent me an e-mail and told me where they were. I thought I better go see if I can find them. I did.
They sure are fluffy little critters
It’s hard to get a clear shot of them but I got lucky. I even tricked Ron into going out there with me. Ask him about his experience. We had fun out there.
Lots of variety this week…it was a good week 😊
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.
