Exercise in the pool to help combat arthritis and diabetes, or the stiffness associated with aging, is a good thing. Getting folks to come the first time is not a difficult chore. Keeping ’em coming can be.But that’s D.J. Griggs’ job, one she takes very seriously.Griggs, the always animated and enormously popular in-pool arthritis class instructor at the Green YMCA, gives a whole new meaning to the expression “kicking it up a notch.” Her call to action certainly keeps them coming back for more. One participant confided that she even schedules her doctor and beauty shop appointments around Griggs’ not-to-be-missed classes.And why not? Griggs — with a mini-microphone headset, making it easier to be heard by those in the water — has an indisputably eager coterie of water proteges, men and women alike, who range in age from 35 to 88. She has them singing and moving in ways they never thought possible, to such addictive uptempo tunes as the Macarena and, of course, the Village People’s YMCA.And they all seemed to really get into the flow when Bob Barwick, aka “The Music Man,” dialed up the country tune Elvira.They all seemed to know the appropriate exercise moves and when to clap, to say nothing of the high-spirited lyrics:Elvira, ElviraMy heart’s on fire, ElviraGiddy up, oom poppa, oom poppa, mow mowGiddy up, oom poppa, oom poppa, mow mow, heigh-ho Silver, away … Gloria Price of Canal Fulton — who, in an earlier note, described herself as a “regular” along with her husband Jim — stopped short of calling herself addicted to the class, which meets 11 a.m. to noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday.But Price is addicted, and that’s good, as I saw for myself. It really is a thing of beauty and inspiration.Magical, too. For when this devoted group takes to the water, the pain seems to just dissipate.According to the Arthritis Foundation, water exercise does a number of positive things: “The warm water raises the body temperature, causing the blood vessels to dilate and increase circulation” and “Water supports joints to encourage free movement.”Eighty-year-old Janet Terrell and her 82-year-old husband, Russell, said their doctor is such a believer in water exercise that he prescribes it for his patients.Even so, the best thing about Griggs’ class, the Terrells agree, is the instructor herself. Of course, exercise and putting their pain in check are the main reason for enrolling. But it’s a virtual happy hour, just not with the drinks.“We love to party and celebrate everything,” Gloria Price said. “Birthdays, of course. But we also had a ‘Happy Groundhog Day’ party. Our special instructor dressed up as a groundhog and sang a special song. We had decorations and great food.”The group even had wedding cake, with some of the women wearing bridal veils into the pool, in honor of the royal wedding of William and Kate.“We sang Happy Birthday for Betty White’s big day,” Price happily continued. “Of course, Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day are coming. And the luau this summer. And a nicer bunch of friends would be hard to find!”The philosophies they all seem to have bought into are these: Move it or lose it! Life is too short not to have fun! Don’t let pain get the best of you!On this day, those in the water sported colorful visors they decorated or other fancy headgear as they slapped colorful balls to each other.Shirley Dobbins of Canal Fulton has been part of the pool exercise class for the better part of a year to address her arthritic knee. She’s already had one replacement. The 65-year-old — who is retired from FirstMerit Bank as a customer service specialist in real estate management — sees the program as a positive except for one thing: “There’s not a lot of weight loss that goes on here because of all of the parties,” she joked. John Long, 73 and a retiree from Acme Tools, swears by the water regime he’s been involved in since 2001. “It keeps me agile,” he insisted. All the fun he has in the process is just an added bonus.New Franklin’s Mary Ann Stirewalt,74, and Akron husband and wife Mary and Don Markley, 68 and 71 respectively, couldn’t agree more.Lori Lautenschlager, district executive at the Green YMCA, said forever etched in her mind’s eye, on the day of the royal wedding, are “all of those women in the water wearing veils.”Proof of how nonthreatening the workouts are is the fact that most of the participants who wear eyeglasses keep them on. Most also wear some type of water shoes for traction, like Springfield Township’s 78-year-old Gladys Lyons, who’s retired from Akron General Medical Center’s dietary department. In a few cases, this exercise program is a family affair. Mostly mother-daughter pairings.Akron’s Linda Wise accompanies her 82-year-old mother, Josephine Gergosky of Green. “She calls herself a retired domestic engineer,” Wise said of her mother, who never quite warmed up to the term housewife.Likewise, 83-year-old Ann Harms has big fun as she pals around in the pool with her daughter, Sharon Parsons of Akron, while making new friends.Akron’s Carrie Tangenberg, 35, is the youngest in the class. “I’ve just been coming for two weeks,” said Tangenberg, who is finding it very beneficial in the stretching and movement to combat her rheumatoid arthritis.Bob Fritzche shared this priceless wisdom: “You’ve got to maintain your car and your home. You need to maintain your body the same way.”The 82-year-old Fritzche, also known as “Yoga Bob,” teaches yoga, Pilates and SilverSneakers and has many of the same senior students in the pool.Even more telling than any words of praise I can assign is the sprinkling of toddlers who exercised nearby. They often stopped in their tracks, moving as close to the pool as safety would allow, while trying their best to imitate the shake-shake goings-on they observed in the water, especially the highly charged Chicken Dance.“That’s the next generation of exercisers,” said a smiling Griggs, who also teaches children’s exercise classes and has an associate’s degree in early childhood education.If it’s true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, those in the pool have yet another reason to keep putting one foot in and shaking it all about.Jewell Cardwell can be reach at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.