As the King of Late Night TV, Johnny Carson was known for giving us a lot of laughs over 30 years. “Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too much.” There is a lot to unpack from Carson here — the holiday travel, heightened emotions, increased stress, extended family, too much food and drink, late night parties — but, thank goodness, there’s a lot of laughter, joy, and saltiness to go around. Thanks to the team at LMNT, being salty AF is a good thing. Studies show that when we increase our water intake and manage our electrolytes, we are happier, less tense, and less anxious. Pro tip: LMNT released their Chocolate Caramel which is perfect for helping you stay salty over the holidays, especially when enjoyed hot with a splash of almond milk. Yum!
Some of the funniest and most poignant storylines from our favorite TV families are centered around the holidays. All of our families look different — as do the ways we prepare, celebrate, and recover. Let’s reminisce.
Friends: The One With the Rumor
“You can’t have Thanksgiving without turkey. That’s like the Fourth of July without apple pie or Friday with no two pizzas.” You gotta love Joey Tribbiani and his love for food. The problem we often face at the holidays is the availability and abundance of unhealthy foods, whether you are with friends or family.
Over the holidays, we tend to consume more. One Thanksgiving meal with dessert can be between 3,000 and 4,500 calories. That is one meal.
To mitigate the surplus of food, it is a good idea to work in an activity or movement where you can over the holidays. Take a walk or hike after dinner, sign up for that really early Turkey Trot in your neighborhood, or squeeze in a fun game of flag football with the family. (I think this was a holiday tradition in the Geller household, but be careful not to tackle your relatives!)
How I Met Your Mother
Cheers! “The Thankstini: a fun and delicious new novelty drink I invented. Cranberry juice, potato vodka, and a bouillon cube. Tastes just like a turkey dinner.” Barney Stinson sure did enjoy his cocktails, like many of us do over the holidays.
According to Beverage Daily, Americans tend to double their intake of alcohol between Thanksgiving and Christmas, with the spike actually starting on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
An easy, healthy, and tasty way to prepare for and combat the effects of overindulgence is to stay properly hydrated and maintain your electrolyte balance. In other words, “stay salty.” In addition to consuming half our body weight in water, we rely on LMNT for our electrolyte needs. Full of potassium, magnesium, and sodium, LMNT is promoting health through hydration — and we are here for it.
Seinfeld
Holiday gatherings can be tricky business. In the words of Jerry Seinfeld, “There is no such thing as fun for the whole family.”
And our tables are certainly crowded. With an average number of 10 guests per celebration, Jerry is right: there is no pleasing everyone. Good options to deal with the gaggle of personalities are meditation, breathing exercises, or listening to music. According to research from Johns Hopkins, listening to music can lower your blood pressure, reduce anxiety, and improve your mood. So go ahead and turn up those tunes. (Although not everyone will appreciate your taste in music, so maybe use your AirPods.)
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
“Hallelujah! Holy sh*t! Where’s the Tylenol?” We are all familiar with the antics of Clark Griswold and his family, but they very well may be an appropriate solution for holiday stress: laughter.
The dichotomy of joy and stress. The holidays certainly provide us with both. Research and polling reveals that close to half of adults are more stressed and more anxious during the holiday season. To that we say: laugh; just find the humor in the chaos. Believe us, the humor is there.
Ted Lasso
“Thanksgiving is not only about the family you have, but also the family you choose.” Ted Lasso and his annoyingly optimistic persona are perfect for the holiday season.
Many of us have so much to be thankful for, that it is just a matter of taking the time to recognize it. With the flurry of activity in our daily lives, we often let the negativity seep in. Ted is an excellent example of the positive effects of leaning into the optimism and letting go of what you have no control over. Maybe this holiday season, we should be a goldfish.
Home Is Where the Salt — Or Salty — Is
However you celebrate and with whomever you celebrate, be sure to take some time to laugh, walk, listen to music, meditate, and hydrate to prepare for the overindulgences of the season. Let the small stuff go and enjoy the camaraderie. And for those of us that want to stay Salty AF, LMNT is offering our readers a free 8-serving sample pack with any purchase here. Stay joyful. Stay hydrated. And stay salty.