Friends,
Volunteers – Thank you for your feedback!
Thanks Dr Kate and all the volunteers that provided feedback for us. This feedback is essential and very well taken. Just as you are here to love and serve our friends with MS, we are all here to love and serve you. We are so THANKFUL for YOU!
Starting this week on Wednesdays and Fridays, Dr Kate will be having a 5 – 10 minute equipment demonstration on various equipment for anyone interested. This includes volunteers or friends with MS.
Dr Kate put together some notes from this meeting. Here is a link to the notes Dr Kate shared. 6.21.24.docx
If you have anything to add to this, please let Dr Kate or me know.
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.
How important is WHO we are doing things with?
As we get together each week, I always catch myself reflecting on WHO we are doing things with. Do you ever do that and then just be so thankful? It really doesn’t matter that much what we are doing but WHO we are doing it with is what makes the activity, event or adventure what it is. This is just as important when we are home with our family or when we are with our friends, the people we work with etc.
I’m not that good with words and emphasizing the impact of WHO we do things with so I will share an adventure I just experienced this past weekend. You might be able to reflect on your own past weekend and put the power of WHO you are doing things with in perspective as well.
This past weekend, eight of us that are somehow connected to the gym got together. We went up north to ride a 100-mile bike ride. This is something that this same group of guys has been doing together for the past four years. Before that, we were riding to the UP in Michigan, from Pewaukee to the Mississippi River, local sunrise to sunset rides, etc. So, in essence, we have been doing something like this together for the past 8-10 years.
This year, the forecast was rain all day Saturday. Of course that’s the day we planned to ride. Does riding 100 miles in the rain sound appealing? Or does being with the group of friends we were with sound appealing? It was certainly being with this group of friends. The WHO we were with.
Did we make it 100 miles? Does it really matter? What’s important was that we were all healthy enough to get together and do something challenging together…again. To answer the question, Jim Oliver had some mechanical issues with his bike at about mile 38 or so and the rest of us all made it the 100 miles. It’s who we were with that made it the adventure it was.
Todd got a little dirty riding his hand cycle 100 miles. It always amazes me how his MS keeps him from walking swiftly but he sure works around it. Despite being about 60 years old living with primary progressive MS, he makes the best of it…even if he gets dirty doing it.
We got lucky, it only rained the first three hours of the ride. We had a traditional stop for lunch at the Pea Patch Saloon in Manitowish Waters and took a traditional picture by the big fish across the street.
It’s certainly the people WHO we were with that made this weekend the fun weekend we had together, not the rainy weather. This was a good training weekend for the Day of Endurance. I’m extremely thankful for this group of friends.
As we get together at the gym each week, I am extremely thankful for WHO all comes and WHO all makes what we do possible. Let’s be thankful for all the WHO’s in our life, have some fun with them and make some memories.
Here’s a challenge for each of us. Whose life can we make a little better in some way? WHO can we enjoy some time together with? Who can we “Just Keep Moving” with? We’re fortunate, we have so many people willing to do stuff together. Let’s engage with someone and have some fun together.
Dan’s Daily Dose update
We now have initial measurements for the people who are engaging in the Dan’s Daily Dose experiment. Each person now has a trampoline at home and are engaging in the chia seed regimen.
The group of people who are engaging in this are challenged with their MS symptoms and totally committed to giving it their best shot. If anyone is going to make progress doing this, this will be the group that will do it. Plus, they’re all willing to share their experience and their progress…that’s really exciting to me.
We will keep you updated as time goes on. It’s going to be really interesting to see if people make no progress, stay the same or make some progress in some way. I know my MS continues to get better as the years go on, I hope we see the same with others.
New waivers!
Our waivers needed some updating as we continue to grow. We have new waivers printed and we need anyone that comes to the gym to sign the new waiver. This includes our friends with MS, care takers and volunteers.
JoAnne Enk has graciously offered to help us get these waivers updated. Please see Jo Anne at your earliest convenience to get your waiver updated. Thanks in advance for your cooperation!
Ed and Adam’s Podcast
This week, Ed and Adam take a deeper dive into MS and share some of their experiences of living with it and what they would have done differently had they known they would have to live with MS.
Here’s a link:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ava-g4/episodes/Getting-Deep-with-MS-e2l7fp3
Thanks Adam, Ed and Ava for doing these podcasts together!
Who’s making progress?
Tom Holtackers continues to make progress in Minnesota. Tom is so determined. As many of you know, Tom is 81 years old and had to be bed ridden for a year and a half due to pressure wounds. The past two years now, he continues to work hard and make progress. Keep up the great work Tom! You certainly inspire me and so many more.
Day of Endurance 2024 – August 24, 2024
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 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 Starting June 26th 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 sure had fun last Friday when we had 25 people join us for our Friday morning bike ride. I’m in my glory each week when I finish my ride around the lake and see all the cars in the parking lot. It warms my heart. Everyone is getting better at getting there a little early, getting on their bikes / trikes and being ready to ride closer to 7:00am each morning. Good job and thank you!
Hills are our friends and last week we got to go up the big hill on the Lake Country Trail by Maple Avenue all the way up the Nagawaukee Golf Course parking lot. I think this the first year we did that hill in June. Nice job everyone!
We sure have fun on these rides!
It was really nice the last two weeks when we could leave earlier than other mornings due to everyone getting there early and getting on your bike on time.
It sure helped by having more volunteers on the ride with us last week as well. We’re getting a pretty good rythym 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, June 28th: 11:00am – Noon. Second demonstration for transfers hosted by Dr Becky Thomas and Gayle Caya PT.
Friday, July 12th 11:00am – noon. Wisconsin Adaptive Sports Association (WASA) will be here to introduce us to adaptive sports opportunities for us to engage in. They do some fun stuff!
Friday, July 19th 11:00am – noon. Day of endurance kick off-event. See who’s participating and who else is doing an event similar to you. View the bike and walking courses, get a rough estimate for the schedule of the day, and where everything will be. Good time to extend the invite to family to join the festivities too and support members as they complete their day of endurance goals.
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/
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. I’m sorry we didn’t have the caregivers support group last week. Something came up and we weren’t able to have it. I appologize. The next one will be Friday, June 5th 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 517 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.
Ricky has a sign up board based on first come first serve. 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
P.S. Yesterday, I had this beautiful red-headed woodpecker visit our picnic table.
I got lucky enough to catch him sneaking off with a piece of corn
I got lucky and got close to a few deer this week too. Here’s a little buck starting to grow his antlers back.
And a nice-looking doe
And another little buck
This doe and fawn were fun to watch
The baby blackbirds are out of their nest. This Mommy was feeding the baby tonight
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.
