Some of us may be fortunate enough to work in the shade or even AC during these extremely hot days. But, for those who don’t have much of a choice, here’s a few tips on staying safe out there.

Typically when temperatures get just a little too hot for comfort, we need to remember to drink plenty of fluids.

Daphne Olivier, a local dietitian, says “General rule of thumb is that you want to drink half of your body weight in ounces of fluid. The fluid should be non-caffeinated and also with no sugar or sugar substitutes; that would be ideal.”

So be careful when choosing your next beverage while out working or competing. Those same sugars and other additives can be found in most sports drinks.

Olivier says, “Those can be good because they’ll give us electrolytes but they also give us a lot of sugar or sugar substitutes like Aspartame or Sucralose and those are not really good for our health.”

If you do find yourself or anyone else suffering from heat exhaustion, dial 911, but there are a few things you can do prior to paramedics’ arrival.

Jimmy Dupuy II with Acadian Ambulance says, “Remove the patient from the heat, and get them in the air conditioning or what not. Start giving them water or Gatorade, something cool as long as they are awake.”

In this south Louisiana heat, there are a few we should pay extra attention to which Dupuy says are the elderly, children and pets. However, everyone is at risk for heat related injuries.

The heat advisory does expire at 7 PM Monday evening but until then, if you must go out, use caution.