​For a transgender man, the first day on testosterone is the first day of a new life.
 
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can make a huge difference in a trans person’s quality of life, but it also comes with some health risks.

I want to point out first that testosterone alone would likely not cause conditions or diseases, but it can be a contributing factor, as it can be for an average person born in a male body.
 
If you were born in a female body, it may be that no one ever advised you about these potential issues, thinking you would never have them. So I hope my article sheds light on these topics, not put you off taking testosterone.
 
I’m not on HRT at the moment, but I plan to. In the UK, you have access to it for free through the National Health Service (NHS), but you have to be referred by a general practitioner (GP). Moreover, there are only a handful of gender clinics in the country and the wait lists are very long.
 
As an alternative, you can get private treatment, but the cost can be crippling.
 
I was referred to an NHS gender identity clinic in September 2018. The current wait for an appointment ranges from one to two years, so I have a long way to go, unless I can save up enough to fund private therapy.
 
The benefit of waiting this long is that I’ve had time to conduct research on the topic of transgender health.
 
I believe I owe it to my body to be as informed as I can about all the risks and, most importantly, all the ways to minimise them.
 
What I found enforced my belief that a healthy lifestyle may be even more crucial if you decide to take hormones than if you don’t.
 
In this article, I’m going to touch upon three of the most important aspects of healthy living for a transmasculine person.

When I was seventeen, I spent six months as an exchange student in America. I lived with two host sisters, one of whom went to the gym every day.
 
Whenever she was about to leave the house, I would wish her a good workout.
 
Every single time, she would give me an odd look and reply, “You don’t work out because you enjoy it,” as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
 
Eventually, I realised what she meant. She only went to the gym because she was scared of gaining weight. Her main goal was to burn calories, so she ran on a treadmill for half an hour, counting the seconds until it was over.
 
Raise your hand if that’s you or has been you at some point in your life.
 
You can’t see me, but I’m raising mine.
 
We live in a culture obsessed with losing weight, mainly for aesthetic purposes. When someone dares to say they genuinely like exercise, they get made fun of.
 
But what can working out do for you besides weight loss and maintenance?
 
In this article, I’m going to explore three benefits that go beyond these usual suspects.

​So you went to the gym, you got a little cocky, and a barbell disagreed with you.
 
Or maybe you had a minor accident at work and the doctor said no heavy lifting for three weeks.
 
What now?
 
Do you just hide in a corner, crying over the imminent loss of all your gains?
 
Heck, no. Do all you need to recover, so you can get back to training at your best and pick up from where you left off.
 
In May 2019, I bruised my sternum, so I had to take two weeks off training. The first few days, it was so painful I could hardly lift my arms, let alone a dumbbell.
 
Here are my four tips to get better and save muscle, based on my own experience.

I was going to write an article about what a nutrition and weight management advisor does. Then I thought, who better than a real client to explain that?
 
Kahina and I worked together for eight weeks. She was worried about her diet, which consisted of the same three meals every day, and she felt restricted to a dozen food items in total. For this reason, she was supplementing with a multivitamin to make up for possible nutrient deficiencies.
 
For the duration of our work together, I asked her to stop taking the supplement. By the end of our sessions, she decided she didn’t need it anymore. Thanks to the changes we made to her lifestyle, she feels healthier, more energetic, and confident that she can get all the nutrients she needs from her food.
 
She also kindly accepted to answer some questions for my readers. So, if you’re wondering what a nutrition and weight management advisor can do for you, read on!

​When you’re trying to get healthy, the scale can be your biggest enemy or the scariest monster under your bed – literally, if you keep yours there like I did. The numbers on that display can dictate whether you’ll feel good or bad about yourself on Weigh-in Day. I used to step on my scale once a week with a shiver of trepidation. Would it bring good or bad news? Could I have a piece of toast for dinner or was it going to be plain chicken and broccoli again?

​Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be your life just because you want to get a bit more in shape. When you get to know the science behind the numbers on the scale, you’ll start to see it as no more than one of many helpful tools in your fitness toolbox.