Healthier heart! 5 easy steps to a

A strong, healthy heart will help you power through even your busiest days with ease—plus help you dodge heart disease (the number-one health threat for women). And, experts say, you can keep your ticker in great shape simply by . . .

Relaxing your ✓

arteries with an herb

Taking the Ayurvedic herb coleus forskohlii improves blood pressure control within three months for seven in 10 of us, Indian research shows. This member of the mint family contains compounds that calm your nervous system and relax your arteries, even when your stress levels creep up. (Concentrations vary, so follow the package directions for dosage.) Important: Always check with your doctor before starting any new supplement. Also smart: Sip three cups of hibiscus tea daily. This fruity brew is shown to cut blood pressure 13 points in six weeks—making it as powerful as today’s pressure-lowering meds!

Lowering LDLS ✓

with avocado oil

A daily tablespoon of avocado oil — or one avocado— could cut your risk of heart disease as much as 50%, researchers say. This healthy plant fat tamps down your liver’s production of artery- clogging LDL cholesterol, lowering your level 12 points or more. Plus, the oil alters the LDLS that your liver does make, so that they’re more slippery and less likely to stick to artery walls. Tip: Avocado oil’s buttery flavor tastes great drizzled over popcorn and cooked vegetables or spread on bread in place of mayonnaise.

Avoiding allergy ✓ triggers with an air purifier

Just getting indoor allergies under control could cut your risk of heart disease 28% or more, the journal Clinical and Experimental Immunology reports. Your immune cells produce a flood of artery-aging inflammation when they attack allergens, so fewer allergy flareups means healthier blood vessels, says study coauthor Vince Patella, M.D. Consider using an air purifier in the room you spend the most time in. Tests show that even smaller, moderately priced purifiers filter out 99% of a room’s mold, dust and dander. Tip: Ask the staff at your home supply store to help pinpoint the best purifier for your home using a measurement called the Clean Air Delivery Rate.

Banishing clots ✓

with berries

Eating one cup of your favorite fresh or frozen berries daily could lower your risk of heart disease 40%, suggest studies in the journal Phytotherapy Research. Berries are rich in polyphenols, unique nutrients that safely thin your blood without negative side effects, study coauthor Joanna Saluk, PH.D., says. Other top sources of polyphenols include flaxseeds and spices, such as cloves, sage and rosemary.

Boosting blood ✓

flow with cocoa

A daily dose of cocoa can relax and open your heart arteries, increasing the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your heart 48%, Harvard researchers say. In addition, their studies suggest that cocoa cuts your “bad” LDL cholesterol level 14%, while raising your “good” HDL level 12%! Credit goes to flavonoids, nutrients that cut blood vessel inflammation, relax arteries and up your liver’s ability to keep its cholesterol output in check. The study- proven dose: 2 tsp. cocoa powder, 2 oz. dark chocolate or 14 oz. hot cocoa daily.

Earlier bedtimes = happier teens

Adolescents whose parents insist that they hit the sack by 10 p.m. are 65% less likely to be depressed than teenagers allowed to stay up until midnight or later, a Columbia University Medical School study reveals. Teens need about nine hours of shuteye each night for optimal health.

Aspirin lowers cancer risk

Taking a daily low-dose aspirin (81 mg.) significantly lowers the risk of dying of certain cancers—including colon (31%), prostate (23%), lung (14 %) and breast (11%) cancers— reveals a new large-scale study presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Eating something—anything—by 9 a.m. That single step can reduce your risk of chronic fatigue as much as 75% in one week, Tufts University scientists say. Eating early in the day prods your brain to produce energizing beta waves, while also increasing your production of focusenhancing hormones like serotonin and dopamine.