You're listening to Life Kit from NPR.

Hey, it's Mariel.

I know it's not technically summer yet, but once June hits, it feels like it is.

And we start doing all the summer things, going to the pool, sipping Italian icees, holding our noses when we walk past garbage cans because that stuff

smells way worse when it's hot. Now, at Life Kit, we are always giving you tips on how to stay

healthy, and we realized summer presents some unique opportunities on that front. It's an easier time

to get enough sunlight, to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, maybe even to exercise outdoors if it's not unbearably

hot. It's also a risky time. We're outside. We're jumping into bodies of water. We're baking

under the hot sun. We are lighting fires and cooking over them. If we're going to do these things,

we ought to do them right. Take grilling, for example. Generally speaking, you don't necessarily want anything above your grill. It might not be the best

setup to place your grill on a balcony where there is someone else's balcony above yours.

And you generally don't want to place your grill along your house siding because it gets really

hot. This is Jess Larson.

She's the founder of a food blog called Plays Well with Butter. Love that name. A few other precautions

she mentions. It's always a good idea to have a fire extinguisher on hand and just the knowledge

that air feeds flames and when in doubt close the lid and let the fire die out on its own.

On this episode of Life Kit, we're going to give you the scoop on how to stay healthy and safe this summer.

And grilling is just the start.

We'll talk about healthy summer cooking and swimming and extreme heat and bugs and more.

Question. Do you know how to swim? Like for real? If you're not sure, take away one.

Summer is a good moment to test your swimming skills and maybe take a swimming class. That could save your

life. And swimming is also just a great way to get exercise when it's hot outside. The Red Cross

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