Friends,
Merry Christmas!
I hope you and your families enjoy the Christmas spirit together as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Let’s enjoy it as a season and enjoy the people we are with.
Just a reminder, the gym will not be open on Christmas Day but we will be open on Friday and all days next week as normal.
Volunteer Appreciation / Christmas party
Our volunteer appreciation / Christmas party was really nice last Wednesday. Like I said at the party, we are SO fortunate and blessed to have so many loving, selfless, giving, talented volunteers. We are truly blessed and thankful for our volunteers with and without MS.
Thank you to all who made the party so special. So many people created delicious baked goods, prepared food and shared their time and talents with us. I loved how everyone welcomed Santa and his elves and made them feel like part of our family. That wasn’t hard to do since they are part of our family 😊. Ole Santa had some fun Santa jokes and great messages for us to take forward in life.
It was a special treat having Mike and Chuck play the guitars and sing some songs with us with all the little candles lit up.
It truly touched my heart when Laura presented me with a card with such heartfelt words and gifts from so many people. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for your support and all you do for being part of our MS-Just Keep Moving family. I’m so grateful to be surrounded by such loving people. Thank you so much!
Happy Birthday to my Mom!
Many of you have met my Mom at the gym. We were able to celebrate her 84th birthday with her and many other family members this past weekend.
Ed and Adam’s Podcast
This week, Adam and Ed made a podcast with some life updates. I didn’t get a chance to listen to this one yet but I’m looking forward to it.
Here’s a link:
Life Updates by Positive Vibes Living with MS
Thanks Adam, Ed and Ava for doing these podcasts together!
Member Spotlight – Personal good news
We didn’t get a chance to spotlight anyone this week. Instead, I’ll share some personal good news.
This past weekend, I was able to make it through my Mom’s birthday party on Saturday evening and a big family Christmas gathering on Sunday afternoon. Historically, my MS symptoms would flare up and I wouldn’t be able to stay at these types of events. The neurological sensations seemed to get triggered by lots of stimulation.
Last Christmas was the first time I was able to stay at these types of events. My MS symptoms were still triggered last year and I had difficulty walking but I was able to stay for the entire event. This year, I was able to stay the whole time for two consecutive events each day. My MS didn’t flare up at all. I was even able to walk normal and stay later to help clean up. This might not seem like a big deal for anyone without MS. For me, it’s lifechanging. I’m able to do social events again and get my evenings back with more energy.
So what’s different? I’m really trying to pinpoint this. I first started noticing the differences after I was jumping on the trampoline consistently last year after the Day of Endurance. That’s really the only thing I changed. This year, I’m jumping on the trampoline every morning with our 6:00am group. I’m giving credit to prayers being answered and experiencing the health benefits of jumping on the trampoline consistently.
Needless to say, I’m really excited about this not only for me but for others who are also experiencing positive results from jumping on the trampoline. We’ll keep sharing as we keep learning more about how jumping on the trampoline (rebounding) helps more people with MS.
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 Wednesdays and Fridays to get members on and off equipment. All are welcome and encouraged to join…friends with MS, volunteers and caregivers.
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
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.
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 – 11:00am Tai Chi led by Ricky
Fridays:
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 at kborn1234@gmail.com with any questions.
Friday Morning Bike Ride
We are done for the season. Let’s work hard over the winter so we can pick right back up where we left off. Let’s enjoy our winter together and think Spring!
Educational Sessions
Friday, January 10th 11:00am – 12:00 pm- Volunteer meeting. Kate will facilitate a meeting to hear from volunteers about successes, struggles, or anything in between. We will also discuss tips and tricks with helping members.
Friday, January TBD 11:00am – 12:00 pm- Dr Kate Kern will demo the steps it takes to get up from the ground, whether it be from a fall or on purpose!
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, January 3rd, 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 575 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 Heldt
Ricky will be here on Wednesdays doing Thai Massage.
There is a sign-up board to be used to accommodate your needs for your exercise plan. Some people with spasticity need to be massaged / stretched out before they can exercise. Some people need a massage after a hard workout to loosen up their tight muscles or relieve pain.
We have limited spots for massages, please be considerate of people that need the massage the most in order to do the exercises they need to do or recover from the exercises they just did.
You can pick the time slot that works for you.
Reiki with Linda and Mary Linda and Mary will be here on Fridays doing Reiki. Many people say their Reiki work is “magical”. We’re thankful for Linda and Mary for sharing their gifts and talents with us. Feel free to let them know you’d like to do Reiki with them. They also have 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 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. This past week was a busy one with all the Christmas celebrations. I still got out to take a few pictures. Since we had some snow, it created some more beauty. Here’s a turkey I saw walking through the snow.
The ice formations along the shorelines always fascinate me.
This one looks a little hungry
These ice chunks with snow on them looked pretty cool, well maybe even cold too 😊
I even found a spider web up under an awning. Kind of odd for this time of the year.
I got out for a nice outing with my son and daughter-in-law’s dogs.
They sure were happy to be out there.
They kicked up a deer. I happened to catch it in midair.
The cardinals like the snow too
So did the bluejays
I happened to drive through some frozen fog on Saturday morning
When you got close, there was a lot of detail on every plant. It was pretty amazing
It sure made for a beautiful sunrise
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.
