Friends,
Remembering David Blavat
It was so nice of David Blavat’s wife Gail and daughter Trisha to stop by last Friday. I’m thankful they got to see and experience why David was so passionate about being a part of us and supporting us in so many ways.
We shared many memories and accomplishments of David through the years. Thanks so much for stopping by Gail and Trisha. I could feel David’s presence with us and see his big smile knowing that you stopped by. No doubt, you made him proud. I hope we can help you and your family going forward.
Here’s a link to David’s obituary: https://obits.cremationsocietyofwaukesha.com/david-blavat
Let’s thank our volunteers!
It still absolutely amazes me that our volunteers continue to come and share their love and gifts with us. Week after week, year after year, they show up and so selflessly do what they can to help us and ask for nothing in return. There’s absolutely no way we could do what we do without the love and servcie of our volunteers. This goes for voluntters with MS as well as volunteers without MS.
Let’s do our best to return the love and appreciation to our volunteers. We certainly can’t take them for granted. To all our volunteers…we love and appreciate you! THANK YOU for doing all you do!
It’s good to see Shay on the treadmill
Shay sure wants to make improvements and get her mobility back. Let’s keep at it Shay…you’re looking good! Consistency is key.
Dan’s Daily Dose update
We had our one month check in for the Dan’s Daily Dose protocol. As far as challenges go, it sounds like some people are having back pains and knee pain. This would more than likely be caused by the impact of jumping on the trampoline and not being used to it. We discussed not jumping so high and shortening the time they’re on the trampoline at one time. We suggested to do shorter sessions more often. We also discussed exercises for the knees and the back. These challenges aren’t necessary MS related, they’re more orthopedic. We don’t want people working through pain so we’ll need to figure out a combination that works for each them individually.
On the positive side, most people reported they already have more energy and are finding themselves doing more than they used to on a daily basis. Most reported that the chia seeds are helping their digestive system. Everyone was given an option to stop the protocol after this first month. Every person wanted to continue it longer. That made me happy. I’m excited to see how people do on this regimen long term.
Next month we’ll be taking some measurements again and be able share some measurable results if there are any.
Day of Endurance Volunteers – August 24, 2024
Dr Kate put together a live document that you can enter what you are willing to do for volunteering for the Day of Endurance. We will start this now and this will help us for planning.
We want to safely provide an amazing day and experience for you and your family and friends. I hope your family and friends will join you on this journey through training leading up to it and on the Day of Endurance.
Here’s a link to the volunteer sign-up sheet: Volunteers DOE.docx
You can add to this/edit it yourself.
Ed and Adam’s Podcast
This week, Ed and Adam talk about pivotal moments in their MS journey.
Here’s a link:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ava-g4/episodes/Dj-Vu-e2m4r0j
Thanks Adam, Ed and Ava for doing these podcasts together!
Who’s making progress?
Have you heard what Pam has been up to lately? If we look back 1-1/2 to 2 years ago, Pam was facing some very big challenges with cancer and MS at the same time. Many of us were very concerned about Pam. Pam never lost hope and did everything she could to make the best of the situations. I’m so happy to say Pam is doing well. Pam is also continuously volunteering for our events, etc.
Last weekend she went sky diving with her son. This weekend she’s doing an Olympic Distance triathlon. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does on the Day of Endurance
Thanks for being you Pam!
MS Educational Event / Inspirational event this Saturday in Oak Creek
I received this invitation from Virgil Hammond for this educational event. He said I could share it with you so if you would like to attend it, you’re welcome to do so.
Day of Endurance 2024 – August 24, 2024
Last Friday Kate put together a really nice presentation answering questions about the Day of Endurance. We’re going to have a really fun day. Here’s a link to the presentation in case you missed it. DOE Presentation 7.19.24.pptx
Here’s a flyer for you to invite your family and friends. I hope they join you.
We only have 4-1/2 weeks left until the Day of Endurance. Now is the time to put in some longer workouts. The last week, we will want to taper off a bit and let our bodies recover a little from all the hard work we are putting in now. Personally, I’ve started doing two different activity workouts daily. Monday, I biked and swam with friends. This morning, I biked with friends and walked. These next few weeks will be the longer workouts for me daily and then a little longer yet on the weekend. By the way, my MS is behaving really well right now. I’m thankful! I hope it stays that way.
Hopefully, you’ll be able to extend your workouts the next few weeks as well. You’ll enjoy the event on the Day of Endurance at a whole different level if you train hard for it now and then back off a bit the week before. The day of…just enjoy the whole day with friends and family doing what you can.
I’m really excited that so much progress is being made. I just love how so many people are engaging in this journey and making progress personally.
I hope you’re feeling good about this journey. Please be cautious, it’s during these times when we start feeling pretty good that we get a little too confident and get injured somehow. Let’s avoid injuries and setbacks by being conscious of our limits. We need to push our limits but not get hurt. That’s a fine line.
Consistency is key. Let’s exercise everyday. It’s not only fun and rewarding to be active everday, it helps us stay ahead of our MS. It’s the gradual, consistency that our bodies will adapt to over time. Let’s do one long workout per week so we can appreciate that we are making progress each week. Dr Kate can help you with a program based on your abilities. Please feel free to reach out to her.
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, friends, 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. 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.
I hope you’ll engage in the journey and make progress yourself. I’m confident you will make progress in some way if you engage in the journey.
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.
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: New Class! 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 had a really nice ride last week. We got out of the parking lot fairly early and got some nice miles in. We had 28 riders again last week…amazing!
It sure helps having more volunteers on the ride with us. We’re getting a pretty good rhythm going. Thanks to all for showing up and doing your part!
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 7:00 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
Friday July 26th 11:00am – noon. Don Beard from Matia Mobility will be demoing a standing machine which is mobile. https://www.matiamobility.com/tek-rmd/
Friday August 2nd 11:00am – noon. Dr Kate will present on tips and tricks to using your smart watch (Fitbit, Garmin, Apple watch)
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! – New Hours
We’ll be getting together from 8:00am – 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 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, August 2nd 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 at 534 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. Ricky will be taking Fridays off for a while. Perhaps through the summer.
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 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, smiling and loving It helps!
In God We Trust…we are in good hands.
Dan
Our Website: http://msjustkeepmoving.org/
P.S. I had a pretty good week with the camera this week. I was on a walk at Lapham Peak Saturday morning and met another guy with a camera. We chatted a bit and he told me about an owl hanging out in the woods about a ½ mile away. What’s the chance of me finding this owl? I walked around for quite a while and finally spotted it in the woods. I was able to slowly walk up fairly close to it. Made my day.
If you get a chance to go to the butterfly garden at Lapham Peak, they flowers are in full bloom. It’s beautiful there.
There’s a nice variety
Just some simple beauty
And a busy bee
Finally…a butterfly
We had a turkey in our yard with just one little one. A real little one.
I was cutting grass last night and saw a hawk go after something. It stood on it for quite a while…long enough for me to go in the house and get the camera. I came back out and it was still there.
I figured it must be standing on something. Sure enough, it had a little frog for a snack.
And then it flew off to look for its next snack.
I was lucky to get these shots
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.
