8 mistakes to avoid if you're going out in the heat

It’s hot — which shouldn’t come as a surprise in July. But this summer’s heat is breaking records around the world, and in the U.S. this week, a heat dome is afflicting the Southwest with ultrahigh temperatures. The East Coast is expected to be steamy, and parts of Southern California could hit 106 degrees by Saturday in what the National Weather Service has dubbed a summer of “excessive” weather.

Of course, it’s summer and you have things to do outdoors, from festivals to barbecues to mowing the lawn. We get it. But the heat can take a toll on your body, and you need to plan ahead when the temperature rises to extreme heat. “Don’t overdo it,” warns John Schumann, a primary care physician in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “Heat can envelop and pummel you.”

And there are a lot of misconceptions about the best ways to protect yourself, warns David Eisenman, a physician at UCLA who is co-director of the UCLA Center for Healthy Climate Solutions. Here are mistakes to avoid in order to ensure you stay safe in the heat.