Find out how HealthKick Ambassador, Lesley Stevenson enjoyed her day of meals from Sakara Life!

How do you motivate yourself to stick with making healthy choices or get back on track when you splurge?
Through high school and into my first year of college, I wasn’t into fitness at all—I didn’t exercise or think too much about what I ate. As a result, I had a lot of extra weight and never truly felt my best. When I got to college, I started thinking about it more, and I managed to lose more than 20 pounds in my first semester at Notre Dame. My main motivation for healthy choices comes from thinking about the way I used to look and feel, coupled with the way I feel now when I eat healthily and maintain an active lifestyle. It is amazing to feel fit and truly be aware of how fitness literally shapes the body and impacts each moment of your life. I carry myself differently and know I am so much stronger than I used to be. That’s a feeling I never want to let go, so I work hard to keep it in my grasp. Now, anyone who knows me knows I do still have a sweet tooth—I LOVE to bake, which is not an easy hobby for health nuts! To balance my splurges, I try to be even more aware of my workouts as well as what I eat for the rest of the day. Luckily, I also love to cook, so cooking veggies and proteins is not too much of a challenge besides finding the time!

Did you do a LIFT private or group class, a Calm session or both? Had you ever used an online platform before fitness or stress management?
I completed both a LIFT class and the Calm seven-day intro challenge. I’ve actually used Calm before so it was not completely foreign to me, but enough time had passed that the intro sessions were quite useful for helping me settle back into it. I’ve also listened to meditation podcasts and used other mindfulness apps to help me ground myself before I start each day. Completing a live fitness class online was totally new to me—I’ve definitely taken advantage of the many YouTube fitness channels like BeFit, Boho Beautiful and Yoga with Adrienne, but I’d never had the experience of an instructor coaching me through my computer! It was so different but honestly pretty amazing to see the other class members in their homes, and I liked that the instructor was able to correct my posture or movement in a way that a YouTube video obviously can’t.

How did you feel after your full day of meals from Sakara? How did it compare to other meal delivery services you’ve tried?
I felt full and content after my day of meals from Sakara! I was totally stress-free, first of all, because I didn’t have to think about cooking for myself and scheduling that time-intensive task into my day. It was a relief to know all three meals, plus a little chocolate for dessert, minerals for water and tea for fun, were ready and waiting when meal time rolled around. The food was so obviously fresh and nutritious, and the expert packing definitely made me feel like someone had personally prepared this for me—not like it came from a factory assembly line. Combined with the notes, explanations and encouragement from the Sakara team, the whole experience felt incredibly personal in a way other meal delivery services never have. I’ve only tried other services that require you to do some cooking, which I enjoy, but the fact of the matter is I don’t always have time. This was much simpler and still left me feeling very full and very satisfied.

What was your favorite meal that you received from Sakara? Would you order again?
I truly enjoyed every dish I tried—something unique stood out in each one. In the Strawberry Maca Shortcake breakfast, I couldn’t believe how light and delicious the “cream” tasted even though it was vegan and much healthier than whipped cream! It was like having dessert for breakfast, so I definitely enjoyed that. For lunch, the Spicy Harissa Chard Abundance Bowl had these amazing winter veggies in a green sauce that was so light and fresh—but what stood out to me the most was that the bowl came on top of a bed of fresh spinach. The spinach wasn’t wilted or old in the slightest—it looked like it came straight from the grocery store. This gave me even more confidence in the healthiness of the food. Finally, the dinner of Revitalizing Risotto with Citrus-Glazed Squash and Balsamic Tomatoes definitely stood out for the clever combination of a cashew “cheese” and quinoa in place of risotto’s typical dairy and rice combination. The whole dish was delicious and so filling that I was able to save some for the next day! I would definitely order any of the meals again and recommend them to friends.