It’s 7 a.m. on a Tuesday morning and the water is fine.

Come on in.

Like last summer, my friends and I signed up for the River Running program at White Water Canyon, the Tinley Park Park District’s outdoor pool. The program is available three mornings and two evenings a week. We go twice a week and sometimes my husband and I attend on Saturdays.

As we push through the waist-high lazy river, we chat, make plans, hum to the loudspeaker music and simply admire the way the sun turns the water’s surface into an impressionist painting.

The whole time our leg muscles are hard at work, but our joints are taking it easy.

It is refreshing. It is exhilarating. It is our way of keeping that raging monster known as Old Age at bay.

Once I turned 60 three years ago, I began to feel Old Age breathing down my neck, banging at my door, creeping into every aspect of my life. It robs me of confidence and far too many friends and family members.

My legs wobble, my arms get shaky, my muscles droop and who knows what is happening to my mind — wait, what was I talking about?

The clock ticks louder as we get older, and not because we’re hard of hearing and the volume is on high.

Do you feel Old Age chasing you? Does it sneak attack when you try to get off the sofa, bend down to pull a weed or carry in the groceries? There isn’t much we can do to stop the sun from rising and setting. But there is something we can do to make sure we’re around to watch it do so for a long time.

It’s called exercise.

Regular exercise can delay the effects of aging and the progression of some neurological diseases, said Kim Monti, wellness manager at Fort Hill Activity Center at the Naperville Park District.

“Exercise is medicine,” Monti said.

It helps you feel good while letting you hang on to your independence and sense of control. It gives us back our confidence the way a nice outfit used to do when we were in our 20s and interviewing for jobs. Exercise strengthens our muscles, improves our balance and increases our circulation. And by releasing endorphins, it helps fend off depression, Monti said.

It’s a mood lifter.

There’s a slight sadness that comes with realizing all the things we can’t do any more — run, turn a cartwheel, maybe even navigate the garbage cans down the driveway on pickup day. Exercise can give you back some of that control, although I wouldn’t recommend trying the cartwheel.

Recent studies show regular workouts can slow the progression of neurological conditions, Monti said.

Fort Hill’s NeuroFlex Fitness program caters to people who have Parkinson’s, dementia, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis or Huntington disease. It helps them improve strength, coordination and cognitive enhancement. Participants exercise while spelling or calculating math because the collaboration works both sides of the brain and helps strengthen neurological bridges, she said.

“It keeps us thinking while we’re moving. It helps us feel like we’re 20 again and are able to multitask, something that gets harder as we get older,” she said. Monti said all park districts offer programs specifically for older adults. Look for terms such as Silver Sneakers, Active Older Adult or anything with Gold in its title, she said.

Don’t be afraid to reach out. And don’t think you have to marry yourself to one kind of program. Find something you like, find something that challenges you, find something that makes you feel good. “Every instructor knows how to modify a workout for specific needs,” she said. In Monti’s Gold classes, participants range in age from 63 to 94.

“My purpose is to help them stay fit, keep them young mentally, keep them high emotionally, and combat depression,” she said. If they come away with new friends, all the better.

We all know life gets to a point where we’re attending more funerals than weddings, she said. We need something that makes us feel good, that gets us out of the house and maybe connects us with other people.

Working out with others helps keep you accountable, she said.

Monti started teaching 17 years ago, after researching the positive effects exercise has on kids with Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

In much the same way, she said, exercise helps older people slow down dementia and delay the progression of neurological decline.

I know, I know, you’re tired. You worked your whole life and now you just want to sit. And, Monti said, of course you deserve to sit “but only after a really good workout, after you have helped your body clean itself of all the bad mojo in there, after developing those muscles so when you need to spring up out of that chair, you can.”

So muster up your courage, check your ego at the door, and get into the gym or the pool or some kind of exercise program. Monti said anything that involves water, like River Running, is “good for your soul.”

“Just hearing the water is very peaceful. And it’s so good for your joints,” she said.

She does recommend that my friends and I also maintain a land workout, because variety ensures all your muscles will get exercised.

She knows that sometimes it’s hard for an older person to work out next to someone in their 20s. But try not to feel self-conscious. Instead, see yourself as an inspiration.

Remember, my fellow Boomers, at this stage of the game, the goal is not to look ripped, but to feel great.

Donna Vickroy is an award-winning reporter, editor and columnist who worked for the Daily Southtown for 38 years.

donnavickroy4@gmail.com