Friends,
Pelvic Floor presentation
Two Fridays ago, Faith Zahorik, a pelvic floor physical therapist from ProHealth Care gave a great presentation about the anatomy and function of our pelvic floor and core musculature, and the interaction of MS.
I forgot to send a link to the notes Faith had printed out for us. Here’s the link: The Pelvic Floor and Multiple Sclerosis handouts.pdf
Pretty much all of us living with MS have some sort of bladder / bowel dysfunction. This was a very educational presentation for me as my bladder is still a mess due to MS. Faith gave us lots of things we can do ourselves at home. I hope we can all make some progress as a result of Faith and the information she shared.
Thank you so much Faith for preparing this presentation and presenting it to us so well. We appreciate you doing this for us.
Endurance Walking Opportunities
Walking is a very functional and sought after level of mobility for all of us living with MS. For those who can’t walk, my heart is with you. I don’t forget for a minute the days I couldn’t walk and I have you in mind on each walk. I wish we had quicker ways to get people who can’t walk, walking. Let’s keep working at it.
For those who can walk, let’s focus on keeping our walking abilities and try to improve upon them.
Our endurance walking group is training for the Day of Endurance. These are on Thursday mornings starting @ 6:00am.
Last Thursday, Pam, Diane and I walked 14 miles. Diane jumped right in and joined us at 14 miles…impressive! We continue to add one mile per week. Our bodies are adapting to the distance with the gradual build up each week…that’s exciting! Even if you can only walk a few steps, I would highly encourage you to try to walk a few more steps each day and one long walk per week. Consistency is key.
We are walking different segments of the Lake Country Trail. Whether you have MS, are a family or friend, a volunteer, etc. if you want to join us, please let me know and I will include you in the communication of where we will be walking. We are hoping to gradually build up from 7 miles to 15-18 miles as we train for the Day of Endurance on August 23rd.
If you want to join us at a shorter distance, we will loop back at whatever distance you’d like to walk or we can meet up with you a little later if you want to join us for a while. I would encourage you to start where you are and gradually make progress as well. I hope you’ll join us. We do it early to beat the heat and get it done as early as we can.
Nutrition Program
Janine wasn’t here this week and will not be here Monday of next week. She will be back Monday, July 21st.
Here are the nutrition links for last week in case you missed them last week:
MS 2025.06.30 Inflammation.pdf
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!
Metals for MS
Thank you to all who brought in aluminum cans, gutters, copper, etc. Please keep bringing them in.
Parking
If there are able-bodied people 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!
Member Spotlight – Shannon Guetzke
When someone continues to work hard and continues to make progress, we like to share their progress. As we all know MS is challenging and Shannon has had her share of challenges. She keeps coming back with a great attitude, smile and is willing to work hard. She continues to make progress and we’re thankful we’re able to share it.
Shannon, you don’t even know who you’re all motivating and inspiring. Who’s saying “If Shannon can do it, I can do it?” Thanks for working so hard with such a great attitude! Walking 40 feet is awesome! I wonder how long it will take you to get to 42 feet? And then…what’s next? 😊
Day of Endurance – Saturday, August 23rd 2025
Be sure to come to the gym this Friday and get your Day of Endurance T-Shirt and more information about the event.
I hope your training is going well. I know some are hitting it hard and are well ahead of where they were last year at this time…good job! We get out of it what we put into it. I hope you’re feeling good!
Let’s make this journey and experience the best yet and have some fun…together. As we train, let’s enjoy each day and record what we do on the packet we put together for you. If you didn’t get a packet, please see Dr Kate or me for your packet. Please turn your progress notes into Dr Kate bi-weekly. We’re trying to make it really easy for you to record what you’re doing on a daily basis. These will be interesting for you to look back at a year from now. Hopefully, you can do more next year than you do this year.
Remember, try to do daily workouts and just one LONG workout each week. It’s on the one long workout that you want to do just a little better than the week before on and gradually build up each week.
Ed and Adam’s Podcast
Adam and Ed have a conversation with friends at the gym.
Here’s the link:
Adam, Ed, and Friends by Positive Vibes Living with MS
Thanks Adam, Ed and Ava for doing these podcasts together!
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
8:00am Rebounding Class
9:00am Nutrition Program – Friends with MS, caretakers and volunteers are encouraged to engage. Here’s last week’s presentations:
MS 2025.06.30 Inflammation.pdf
Monday evenings (open from 4:00pm – 7:00pm)
5:00 pm: High intensity interval training (HIIT)
5:30 pm: Standing balance
6:00 pm: Seated 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
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 / Standing Stretching Class
Fridays:
7:00 – 8:45am: Bike Ride from Nettesheim Park – Pewaukee – see address below
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 got rained out last week…bummer! We will be riding this Friday if it’s not raining. If it’s raining, feel free to come to the gym early.
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.
Educational Sessions
This Friday, July 11th 11:00 – 12:00 pm: Day of endurance check-in presentation. We will be handing out T-Shirts, getting waivers signed, sharing progress updates, etc. Please attend so you’re up to date and get your T-Shirt. They’re really cool and were designed by our own Joel Harris with some valuable input from own Gregory Borden. Thanks Joel and Gregory for working together on the design.
Friday, July 18th 11:00 – 12:00 pm: Bi-yearly volunteer meeting. Meet in the breakroom to discuss any new topics, raise questions, comments, or concerns.
Friday, July 25th 11:00 – 12:00 pm: Rob Motl’s team from the University of Illinois Chicago will update us on research results from their recently completed MS studies, tell us about ongoing research studies, and what’s next for his research lab.
Friday, August 1st 11:00 – 12:00 pm: Kate will present interesting research findings and rehab techniques she learned at the 2025 Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) conference.
Friday, August 15th Fayth Caruso from Bellicon will be here to spend the morning with us. Fayth will answer any questions you may have about rebounding, the benefits of it, how to get started, experiences she’s had as a master trainer, etc. Fayth would also like to learn from us living with MS and how we have benefited it from it so far. Fayth gets lots of requests from people across the nation about rebounding and MS. She is hoping to get some testimonials from some of us to share with her Bellicon nation.
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.
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. 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 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, July 18th, 2025. 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 628 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!
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 Wednesdays and Fridays
Reiki is available at the gym, for FREE, on Wednesdays (Mary B, Jill K) and on Fridays (Linda C and Mary R), 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 God We Trust…we are in good hands.
Dan
Our Website: http://msjustkeepmoving.org/
P.S. As you know, each week, I try to get out and get some nature pictures to share with people that can’t get out there. This was an interesting week with quite a bit of variety.
Debbie gave me a tip on where an albino deer has been spotted by Oconomowoc. I thought I would go there and see if I could find it. Low and behold, I drove to the intersection Debbie told me it was spotted and there it was. Thank you Debbie!
I had an opportunity to go to Lapham Peak with my son, Jacob while it was raining. We waited in the car until it slowed down and then we found some nice opportunities.
The rain drops seem to add just a little more beauty to the picture.
Even the little butterfly liked the rain drops
Jacob saw this wet little American Red Squirrel
Once it dried up a bit, we chased a monarch butterfly around
Finally caught it landing on a flower
The bees are very busy these days but they are hard to photograph. I got lucky with this shot.
I went for a walk at Frame Park with Cal. We saw a family of ducks. The ducklings were separated from the Mommy by a waterfall.
This little duckling seemed to like a bubble bath
The family was reunited after a while. They were happy! Isn’t that a nice story?
We had some turkeys having a drying party after a rain in our backyard. Recognize the trailer from our bike rides?
Last night, as it was getting dark, we had this buck visit our backyard. I didn’t have much light. I was surprised it turned out as well as it did.
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.
