Legal & Privacy
Refined Living 2026Cookie Policy
Last updated: 15 June 2025 | Manstrengthjourney.info
This Cookie Policy explains how Manstrengthjourney — an independent editorial platform for men's health and strength content — uses cookies and similar tracking technologies when you browse our articles and editorial content at manstrengthjourney.info.
The information on this site is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device — computer, tablet, or smartphone — when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites function correctly, to improve performance, and to deliver relevant information to readers.
Cookies do not contain personally identifiable information such as your name or payment details. They primarily serve technical and analytical purposes that help us understand how readers interact with our editorial content.
Similar technologies — such as web beacons, pixels, and local storage — operate in comparable ways and are covered by this policy. Throughout this document, we use the term "cookies" to refer collectively to all such technologies.
2. Types of Cookies We Use
Essential Cookies
These cookies are strictly necessary for the website to function. They enable core features such as page navigation, security, and access to protected editorial areas. The website cannot operate properly without them. No consent is required for essential cookies.
Analytics Cookies
These cookies help our editorial team understand how visitors engage with our articles — which topics attract the most readers, how long readers spend on a piece, and which content areas to develop further. Data collected is aggregated and anonymous.
Functional Cookies
Functional cookies remember your preferences — such as your reading mode, language settings, or previously viewed articles — so that your experience on our editorial platform feels consistent across visits.
Third-Party Cookies
Some of our editorial pages may include embedded content (such as videos or social share buttons) from third-party platforms. These providers may set their own cookies governed by their own privacy policies. We do not control third-party cookies.
3. How We Use Cookies
As an editorial platform, our use of cookies is focused on improving the quality, accessibility, and relevance of our written content — not on commercial profiling or advertising targeting. Specifically, we use cookies to:
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Ensure the platform works correctly — maintaining sessions, handling navigation between articles, and protecting editorial content from misuse.
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Measure editorial performance — understanding which articles resonate with our audience so our writers and editorial board can plan future content more effectively.
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Remember reader preferences — saving non-personal display settings so returning readers have a smoother browsing experience across our article archive.
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Support platform security — detecting unusual activity patterns that may indicate automated crawling or abuse of our editorial content.
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Enable third-party editorial tools — such as embedded media players or social sharing features that enrich our long-form articles and featured stories.
4. Cookie List
The table below provides details of the main cookies currently in use on manstrengthjourney.info. This list is reviewed and updated periodically by our editorial team.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Type | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| _session_id | Manstrengthjourney | Essential | Maintains your browsing session while navigating between articles and editorial pages. | Session |
| csrf_token | Manstrengthjourney | Essential | Security token to protect forms (e.g. article feedback) from cross-site request forgery attacks. | Session |
| msj_prefs | Manstrengthjourney | Functional | Stores reader display preferences such as font size and content category filters. | 1 year |
| cookie_consent | Manstrengthjourney | Functional | Records whether the reader has acknowledged the cookie notice, to avoid showing it repeatedly. | 1 year |
| _ga | Google Analytics | Analytics | Distinguishes unique readers to provide anonymous traffic statistics about article readership. | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Analytics | Tracks reader sessions within a 24-hour window to measure daily editorial content engagement. | 24 hours |
| _gat | Google Analytics | Analytics | Throttles the request rate to limit data collection on high-traffic editorial articles. | 1 minute |
| YSC | YouTube | Third-Party | Set when a YouTube video is embedded in an editorial article; registers a unique session ID for video statistics. | Session |
| VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE | YouTube | Third-Party | Estimates bandwidth to serve the best video quality for embedded editorial video content. | 6 months |
* Cookie durations are approximate. Third-party cookie durations are controlled by their respective providers and may change independently.
5. Managing & Disabling Cookies
You have the right to decide whether to accept or decline non-essential cookies. You can exercise this right in several ways:
Browser Settings
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our editorial platform, including your ability to navigate between articles smoothly.
Opt Out of Google Analytics
To opt out of Google Analytics tracking across all websites, you can install the official Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. This prevents your data from being included in our anonymous editorial readership statistics.
Cookie Consent Banner
When you first visit manstrengthjourney.info, a cookie notice will appear allowing you to accept or decline non-essential cookies. You can revisit and update your preferences at any time by clearing your browser's cookies and revisiting the site, which will reactivate the consent banner.
Do Not Track
Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that signals to websites that you do not want to be tracked. Our platform respects DNT signals where technically feasible. However, please note that not all third-party tools embedded in our editorial content respond to DNT signals.
6. Legal Basis for Cookie Use
Our use of cookies is governed by applicable data protection law, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Polish Act on the Provision of Electronic Services. We rely on the following legal grounds:
| Cookie Type | Legal Basis |
|---|---|
| Essential | Legitimate interest — necessary for the website to function; no consent required. |
| Functional | Legitimate interest / Consent — where they enhance user experience beyond strictly necessary operation. |
| Analytics | Consent — we ask for your permission before placing analytics cookies. |
| Marketing | Consent — we ask for your permission before placing marketing or advertising cookies. |
7. Third-Party Cookies
Some cookies are placed by third-party services that appear on our pages. We do not control the operation of these cookies; they are governed by the privacy policies of the respective third parties. Third parties that may set cookies on our website include:
- Google Analytics — website traffic analysis (Google Privacy Policy)
- Google Ads / DoubleClick — advertising and remarketing (Google Ads Policy)
- Facebook / Meta Pixel — social media advertising (Meta Privacy Policy)
- YouTube — embedded video content (Google Privacy Policy)
- Stripe — payment processing (Stripe Privacy Policy)
We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these third parties for more information about how they use cookies and how you can control them.
8. How to Control and Delete Cookies
You have several options for controlling cookies:
8.1 Our Cookie Consent Tool
When you first visit Manstrengthjourney, a cookie banner will appear giving you the option to accept or decline non-essential cookies. You can change your preferences at any time by clicking the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer of our website.
8.2 Browser Settings
Most web browsers allow you to manage cookies through the browser settings. You can set your browser to refuse all cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. The links below will take you to the cookie management pages for common browsers:
Please note that restricting cookies may affect the functionality of our website. Some features may not work correctly if you disable certain categories of cookies.
8.3 Opt-Out Tools Provided by Third Parties
You can opt out of interest-based advertising from certain third-party providers using the tools below:
- Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on
- Your Online Choices (EU)
- Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) Opt-Out
- Facebook / Meta Ad Preferences
9. Cookies and Children
Our website is intended for adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly place tracking or marketing cookies on the devices of individuals under the age of 18. If you believe a child has provided personal data through our website, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.
10. Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology, legislation, our business operations, or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. When we make material changes, we will:
- Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.
- Display a notification on our website alerting you to the changes.
- Where required by law, seek your renewed consent.
We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies. Your continued use of our website after any changes constitutes your acknowledgement of the updated policy.
11. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies, please contact us:
Manstrengthjourney
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.manstrengthjourney.com
- Address: Manstrengthjourney Ltd, 27 Fitness Lane, London, EC1A 1BB, United Kingdom
If you are not satisfied with our response and believe we are processing your data unlawfully, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) — the UK's data protection authority — at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.