Thyme and JOY

13/10/2026

I think most of us go through that phase when we are younger and see our older counterparts starting to slow down a bit or when weird things start to happen to them. We think maybe they are just complaining, and that would NEVER happen to them. I am so guilty of this.

But something just starts to feel OFF. You only realize it’s happening in hindsight because you don’t just wake up feeling different all at once. It’s a gradual process and it’s on a spectrum for all women.

So what’s going on? It’s not that we stop making hormones. It’s that they are SO much less predictable than they were before. Estrogen alone is responsible for muscle function, bone health, connective tissue, temperature regulation, sleep and ENERGY METABOLISM.

This makes our tolerance for exercise and stress a bit more erratic, especially if we’re not sleeping. Does it mean we stop training? NOT AT ALL! You just have to tweak the dose.

Your recovery needs to change even when your motivation doesn’t. Being mentally capable of pushing through workouts does not mean you should physically push yourself to the limit and that’s really hard for a lot of us to grapple with.

You have to start to be aware enough to account for overlapping in your training. If you’re not in control of your programming, you need to be mindful about overworking yourself in certain areas and start to cherry pick what is going to suit you that day, that week, or even for a season.

I hate saying this, but recovering and body awareness becomes more of a part of training. For example, for me, the summer months are so active in general. So if I’m training for something and doing my regular workouts I tend to need a FULL rest day and one active recovery day per week. I’m only just realizing that if I have my nutrition in the right spot, I’m actually not losing fitness by doing this. Coming into workouts more fresh and performing well is a really good feeling!

What about HRT? As someone with chronically LOW estrogen, I’ve had a brief stint with estrogen and progesterone but unfortunately had to stop for the foreseeable future. Let me know if you want me to share my experience!

12/10/2026

Am I making a long post about the journey of completing this race? Yes!

Because a few months ago when Jess texted me to be her partner for a 50k relay I honestly thought she meant to text someone else. Running 16 miles and change on a rocky trail with elevation seemed so far away from my capabilities, but something in me said TRY.

From there, I programmed my training to add running in and there were a LOT of lessons there. One being that I truly do need more recovery than I did in my early 30’s. I hate saying that, but it’s true that you need to reassess what your body needs as you get older. I have more to say on this, but I’ll save it.

I realized this when I was trying to continue to do 4-5 strength and conditioning workouts ON TOP of the miles. Bad idea. Towards the end I had to pull back on the workouts which left me feeling disconnected from the whiteboard, the gym environment, my routine, and my overall strength all at a time where I was learning to have a bigger role in the gym. It was uncomfortable.

Ran out of space MORE IN COMMENTS!

26/09/2026

Lucky to have mornings like this with fitness and great friends! ❤️

21/09/2026

I don’t post much on the blog anymore but so many of you asked for this recipe so I wanted to deliver it even though the photo isn’t great and it is a HIGH VOLUME recipe.

There is enough to make a bunch of meals and freeze the leftovers. Serve over rice or noodles or roasted veggies!

Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken

Ingredients

* 4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
* 2 large bell peppers, sliced
* 2 (13.5 oz) cans full-fat coconut milk, unsweetened
* ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
* ⅔ cup soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons honey
* 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
* 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
* Juice of 2 limes
* ½ bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. Slice each chicken breast horizontally into 2 thinner pieces and place them in the slow cooker with the sliced bell peppers on top.
2. Whisk together the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, ginger, and garlic. Pour the sauce over the chicken and peppers.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 4–6 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
4. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred with two forks.
5. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir it into the peanut sauce.
6. Stir in the fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro just before serving.
7. Serve over rice. Top with extra cilantro, lime.

Per 100g:
117 calories | 11.6g protein | 3.3g carbs | 6.3g fat | ~0.6g fiber

30/08/2026

16/08/2026

I’m not saying everyone shouldn’t care about their weight going up as in some situations it can be a potential health issue.

But when you need more fuel to improve performance, it’s important to really stay on top of what your brain is conditioned to think and what will move you forward!

13/08/2026

Our first time paddling in the ocean! Technically cape fear river to shark tooth island. We didn’t get to spend much time here because a storm headed through but we did find some shark teeth and fossils! 🐚

30/07/2026

Not only are they so resistant to cleaning but if anything gets on them it takes an army of elbow grease to get it off 😵‍💫. And I only have a small area!

540 Fitness
Lara Boyer

30/07/2026

Quick dinner idea using pasta and a high protein salad kit. Added 4oz grilled chicken breast. Would love to try this with the Caesar salad kit!