Consistency? Never a word in my vocabulary.
Not really. I knew the gym existed. I just never stuck. Until 2019.
It started with a breakup.
Cliché, sure. But the shift wasn’t about revenge or getting a new man’s attention. It was quieter, deeper. I realized I had been pouring every drop of myself into other people while keeping my own cup dry. It felt unbalanced. Unhealthy. So I decided, for once, to put myself first.
I wanted to get “toned.” A safe goal. Easy to swallow.
Then the classes started. Three times a week, strength training circuits. Someone else told me what to do, so I just did it. The physical changes came first. Muscle definition. Posture. Then the mental fog lifted.
Every workout felt like a reset.
The glass ceilings I’d built around myself? Turns out, they were just imagination.
That journey led me here: The Woman’s Guide to Strength Training: Dumbbells.
I wrote this for you because I want what fitness gave me. It’s accessible. It requires minimal equipment—just dumbbells and space. Whether you are lifting weights for the first time or you are a seasoned vet, the program meets you where you are. You might start light. Then you add a pound. Then two.
The mind always believes the body can’t handle more than it can. Prove the mind wrong.
Here is how it actually worked for me.
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The Routine Stuck Because It Became Ritual
I didn’t wait for motivation.
I scheduled workouts like doctor appointments. Non-negotiable. Monday through Friday, I stopped by North County Fitness and Performance before work.
It wasn’t always fun. But it was there.
Weekends? Rest.
The consistency brought people into my orbit. Regular faces. Regular conversations. Accountability without the pressure. Being surrounded by others chasing similar goals kept me moving when my brain screamed, Stop.
Then the world paused.
COVID-19 closed the doors.
Most people quit. I didn’t.
I already owned a set of 7.5-pound dumbbells. I found a 20-pound set at Target.
Literally the last set in the store.
No choice but to work with what I had.
Heavy presses with the 20s. Light raises with the 7.5s.
It worked.
Fitness kept me sane during the shutdown. The mental clarity outweighed the muscle gain, eventually. Now, mental health is the primary reason I train. Everything else is a bonus.
Pushing Past the Limit
A year into lockdown, my gym held a deadlifting competition.
Just for fun. No prize. But other gyms joined, which meant strangers watching me. The energy spiked.
I loaded 255 pounds onto the bar.
That felt like my max. That felt like “enough.”
My friends said, “Go higher.”
Why not?
I added ten pounds.
285.
Locked in. Pulled the weight from the floor.
Did I just do that? Yes. I just did that.
That moment broke the internal narrative that said I am not a strong person.
It trickled out of the gym. Later that year, I traveled solo to Hawaii. Challenges popped up. I solved them. Same mindset.
This belief in your capacity to lift heavy things changes everything. It changed my career path too. In 2021, I became a trainer while keeping a corporate day job. In 2022, I started coaching officially. By 2024? I left the corporate world behind.
I now run NellBells Fitness.
I focus on body-mind-soul.
What did you love doing as a kid? Bring that joy into your week. Exercise isn’t just punishment for eating; it’s fuel for living.
Three Things That Actually Matter
You don’t need a complex plan to start. You need these basics.
1. Schedule It.
If you only have two days a week? Pick them. Mark them on the calendar. Show up. Miss one? Reschedule it that same week. Don’t let the hole stay open. Habit is built in the repetition.
2. Eat For Fuel.
My father is Rastafarian. We viewed food as medicine growing up in Jamaica, then moving to the US. I learned early that prevention is better than cure.
Now? Every plate has protein. Veggies. Complex carbs.
I am a pescatarian. It works. Prioritize protein to repair the damage you do in the gym. Colorful plates aren’t just aesthetic; they’re nutritious.
3. Learn The Basics.
The trainers at North County taught us the “why” behind every movement. Form over speed. Every time.
Personal training taught me that being a beginner isn’t weak. It’s necessary. Even now, I incorporate beginner principles into my advanced training. You won’t love every rep. But you will love the result.
The Guide uses progressive overload. Supersets. Pyramid sets. Weight goes up as reps go down.
It’s designed to make you uncomfortable so you can grow.
The End Is Just The Beginning
At the end of The Woman’s Guide, there’s a prompt for reflection.
Not “how does this fit look?”
Instead: What changed mentally?
The physical gains are obvious. You can see them. The mental ones? Those are quieter. They’re stronger.
Realizing you are capable of more than you thought?
That changes the game.
If I could find the strength in 285 pounds, what is the weight you are afraid to lift in your life?
Try it.
See what happens.
