All of us have our favorite time of the day to go to the pool and enjoy a good swim. It is certainly nice to go whenever we like. However, many of us have other little things in life like jobs, families, and Monday Night Football that take precedence over swimming. That means most of us can only dive into our favorite pool either before the rooster crows or after the evening rush hour.

This is perhaps why swimming during the lunch hour is becoming more popular. Squeezing a swim into your workday frees up those early mornings and late evenings for other endeavors. Plus, a midday swim can help refresh your mind and body for the remainder of the afternoon. If you have the time, as well as a convenient pool or health club nearby, a swim at noon can be a great break.

Before diving into these midday workouts, be very sure that the time you spend at the pool will not have a negative effect on your job. Don’t put your career in jeopardy by taking extra-long breaks or by returning to work so exhausted that you can’t function. You should be safe if you follow these three simple guidelines:

Get your supervisor’s permission.

If it takes more than a 10 minute journey to the pool from your workplace, it’s not worth the effort.

Don’t take your beeper into the water with you.

Now for the workout. What should you do in order to get a meaningful workout with the limited time available_ Again, there are a couple of guidelines which, when you think about it, are true for any length of workout. These guidelines take on some added significance when your time in the pool is short.

First, no matter what else you do, get a sufficient warmdown at the end of your workout. Allot yourself the opportunity to give your heart, lungs, and muscles a chance to recover. Let your body relax before heading back to the stressful grind of the office.

The second guideline is about as important as the first. No matter what else you now do, get a sufficient warmup when you start. This is a good chance to loosen up and prepare for some quality swimming. Relax, put the worries of the office in the back of your mind, and think about stroking with a gentle cadence and good form.

What about the main set_ For a midday workout, a main set is going to be fairly individualized. What you can do is probably limited by a number of factors: Time, traffic in your lane, and your strengths are just a few factors. It also depends (I’m talking now to the borderline masochists) on whether you swam with your masters team at 5:00 A.M. that morning or plan on swimming again in the evening. The rest is up to you. Here are some suggestions…

Perhaps you don’t even have the time to do a main set between the time to warm up and warm down. That is perfectly O.K. You still got out of the office, got your blood flowing, and did something good.

You may have been introduced to a new technique or drill during you last masters workout. Or, you may have attempted a new workout set. How about working on it here_

Long freestyle may be the best bet for most. Especially if you plan to swim in the evening, or still have a busy half-day of work waiting, you can get your heart working and still save some energy for the home and office. Of course, if you can handle mixing in some 200 flys and 50 sprints, go for it!

A well planned midday workout can refresh you and energize you for the rest of the day. Once you’ve hit the showers and chowed down at your favorite fast-food place (How can you feel guilty after just working out_), go forth and seize the day!