AUSTIN, TX -- How many glasses of water do you drink a day?
According to the Institute of Medicine, 75-percent of Americans don't drink enough to meet the daily, recommended amount – but there is another way besides drinking water to meet your quota.
It is a rainy Sunday when we come across a few joggers who won’t let the precipitation keep them from going the distance.
One of them is Laura Jones.
"I jog probably once or twice a week,” Jones said. “I exercise almost daily."
While it is overcast and temperatures are nowhere near the century mark, Jones says she's as sweaty and thirsty as she would be in 100-plus degree weather.
"I'm certainly dehydrating,” she said. "I will go back and rehydrate. I drink at least two cups of water when I get to the car. I probably drank two cups before I got here as well."
Health coach Kipp Kennedy from Take Shape For Life says you can also consume your water by eating it.
"Celery is incredible. Cucumber is like, literally, eating water,” Kennedy said. "Strawberries, also yummy, everybody loves those; and watermelon, the perfect summer food."
Any fruits and vegetables that contain 85-percent water or more would do.
While it's nice to have other ways to stay hydrated, Kennedy still recommends drinking at least eight glasses of water a day.
"To substitute your daily dose of water with food means you're going to be eating quite a bit. So it actually would be harder to eat your water than to drink your water,” said Kennedy.
Aside from preventing dehydration, Kennedy stresses its health benefits.
One of them is hampering joint pain, which helps keep Jones on her feet.
"We're made up of water; we have to drink water," said Jones.
"A person can go days without eating, but not many days without water,” said Kennedy.
Eight glasses of water a day may sound like a lot, but health experts say it's a sure thing to beat the heat.