LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It’s hot outside and doctors are reminding us to keep our body temp down, but for some people, avoiding the heat isn’t an option.

They say find a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life. 

That’s exactly what Travis Allen did when he started working as a lifeguard at Plainview Swim Club in 2018. 

“The best part about being a lifeguard is being able to be out in the sun, tan. Being out in the water,” said Allen. 

Recently, because of the hot weather, he’s been trying to stay out of the sun and under the shade instead. 

“It's been wild recently. It has been hard on us lifeguards especially when we're sitting in the chair, it can get hot sometimes I'll just start sweating and start feeling uncomfortable,” said Allen. 

Lifeguards are keeping an eye out for swimmers who might be overheated too. 

“If they're panting, like breathing heavy, sweating a lot, you can tell, sweating more than usual,” said Allen. “We know the signs to be able to tell if someone's maybe having a stroke or something like that.”

To keep staff cool and safe, lifeguards at Plainview Swim Club take hourly breaks, sit under umbrellas, wear sunglasses and hats, and most importantly, drink plenty of water, which is highly recommended by University of Louisville Health sports fellow Lauren Miller. She shared a tip on how to calculate how much water you should intake each day. 

“One way to gauge that is you take your bodyweight in pounds divided by two and that's the amount of ounces of fluid that you should have each day, and of course, if you’re doing physical activity, you're gonna want to increase that,” said Miller. “So if you're out running or participating in sports, you definitely want to increase it.”

Along with hydrating, there are other steps you can take to avoid dehydrating which can lead to a heat stroke, heat exhaustion and sunburn if you have to get out in the sun. 

“The earlier you go, when it's not as hot, so when the sun's not up or in the evening or better times to kind of participate. You also want to wear loose fitting clothing that kind of helps moisture wick and pull some of that sweat out, and then light colored clothing as well, that tends to reflect heat instead of absorb it,” said Miller. 

Other signs to look for that indicate someone might be dehydrated include fatigue, nausea, dizziness, cramping and decreased concentration. 

“One thing too with babies is that you look and see how much urine they're producing. So if you're not changing as many wet diapers as you normally do, you notice that your child's not going to the bathroom as often, those are signs that they could also be dehydrated,” said Miller. 

She said elderly family members should be checked on. 

“You do want to check on them, especially because you do want to make sure that their air conditioner is working, that they are getting the proper amount of nutrition, hydration, those types of things,” said Miller. 

Though children and elderly people are more susceptible to heat-related illness, it can happen to anyone. 

“Even if you think that you're okay, it can affect you. You just want to make sure that you're taking all the precautions,” said Miller. 

Doctors say if you are experiencing symptoms of heat illness, you should hydrate and move into the shade. If symptoms are severe, visit the emergency room.

Doctors also recommend wearing sunscreen that is at least 30 SPF and reapplying it every one to two hours to replace what you sweat off.