Book Review: Sexy in 6, by Tracey Mallett

A few weeks ago I was asked to review a book and noticed from my daily blog reading, I wasn't the only one. I've mentioned this book a couple of times lately in my posts, without an actual review of it. Sexy in 6 is the name of the book by author and fitness expert Tracey Mallett. I have to say that I had two initial reactions to the title of the book. The first one being skeptical as the title suggests that I can lose weight quickly. My second reaction was that I admittedly liked the idea of becoming sexy in 6 minutes.

Anyhow, I did a little research on Tracey; she has been in the fitness world for over 20 years, she has two children (causing her initial 55lb. weight gain), she has a snazzy British accent, she is a personal trainer and life coach. Tracey is very likable and so is her book, despite the black and white photos. I'm not against the whole "lose weight quickly" mantra so long as it's not trying to convince me that I can lose obscene amounts of fat in a month. Because really, right now, I'm in the lose weight as slowly as possible lane which is similar to not losing weight at all. Which really needs to change. Tracey believes that with her plan you can lose up to 25lbs. in 6 weeks.

Sexy in 6 is filled with customizable body-type workout routines that you can do in 6 minutes throughout the day. In the morning, after lunch and in the evening. Or all at once. You don't even have to have a gym membership to follow her fitness plan. All you need are few sets of free weights, a body ball, mat, sneakers and music. I wondered why it is only six minutes in spurts throughout the day and could that really be effective. She believes that you don't need to spend huge chunks of time during the day to see results, Tracey's claim is that you can spread the time out over the day in small concentrated bursts of exercise. Tracey also believes anyone can spare six minutes a couple of times a day to workout.


My least favorite parts about the book:

1) The black and white photos. I like color, I just do.

2) The writing and book style are a bit too cosmo-girl esque for me. Or, too stressful in the sense that women are so freakin' busy that they have to work out in small chunks throughout the day. I like to keep my life as stress-free as possible.

3) The small chunks of time- work out theme, this really depends on the person and Tracey does suggest that you can get your work out done all at once, but I like to get things over with in one go when it comes to exercise. I can't see wanting to sweat more than once a day (I will sweat) and have to keep going in and out of workout mode. Again, the 6 minute thing could be good for other people.

My favorite parts about the book:

1) Its an easy and quick read. When it comes to fitness books, I have the attention span of a gnat. Often they say things like "please read everything" and I'm like "come on! get to the important parts!"

2) Tracey provides upbeat music suggestions and explains how music can be a huge success factor in a fitness routine. I have to agree here, I really hate watching TV while I work out. Josh on the other hand does, and I can see the appeal. Especially for people like us who are (by choice) sans cable. But, I won't lie, I can go longer and work harder on the treadmill if I have Rihana or Beyonce playing in my ear. I just have to pretend like I'm not dancing on the treadmill.

3) The book comes with an exercise DVD! There are a lot of pages with exercises in the book that I find a little overwhelming and tedious. I have a hard time imagining myself balancing on a ball while flipping the page for my next exercises. The DVD makes things easier.

4) The diet advice. I have gone back and forth with Tracey's nutritional and diet plan over the past couple of weeks. It is based on portion control instead of calorie counting. With the focus on real (unprocessed) foods. The portions are as follows: seven proteins (1 oz. lean meat, one egg, or two egg whites are one serving), three servings of dairy (1 cup skim milk, 1 oz. low fat cheese etc.), 4 fruits, 5 grains (1/2 cup brown rice, 1 small potato, 1 slice whole grain bread or 2 slices diet bread, 1/2 cup beans etc.), 3 fats (1tsp. oil, or small amounts of fat from other foods such as natural peanut butter. ex: 1 tbls. natural peanut butter would be 1 protein and 1 fat serving), and unlimited vegetables. You can also have up to four treats a week in the form of 4oz. or wine, 4 hershey kisses etc. The plan is simple with no calorie counting, which I like. It is basic nutritional advice without telling us that we should find ways to fit junk foods in our daily lives to make it more livable. I'm starting to understand that daily and weekly indulgences are not occasional indulgences.

5) It is very motivational. I really feel that Tracey is no-nonsense when it comes to diet and exercise. Which can be uncomfortable for someone like me who uses denial and excuses on a daily basis to cope with my excess weight. There are great tips and quotes that provide insight as well as motivation. Her book helped me to decide that losing weight in the long run feels a lot better than trying to fit all of my favorite junk foods into my daily life. I am now 280 lbs. and I've started picturing 240. I've been 240 and it felt a lot better! I can actually feel it happening, and that feeling, feels so much better than eating desserts. In the long run, it really does.

6) Exercise tips for better sex. Kegels, women, kegels. Thats all I'm saying.


Click here for Tracey's website.

Click here for the Amazon.com link.