Easy keys to a healthy heart!

Who wants to slog away at the gym to ward off heart disease when you can be enjoying time with loved ones? Not us! Luckily, simple tricks lower cholesterol, tame blood pressure, boost blood flow and more. And that’s great news since keeping your heart healthy lowers the odds of COVID complications by 80%!

✓ Savor candied pecans

Yum! Digging into a handful of this classic holiday treat is a tasty way to keep heart trouble at bay. University of Georgia scientists say eating 21⁄ oz. of pecans

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(about two small handfuls) daily lowers “bad” LDL cholesterol enough to tamp down heart disease risk by 30%. The healthy fats and fiber block arteryclogging cholesterol formation. Tip: Walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts and peanuts provide similar heart-smart benefits.

✓ Nab a deal

Whether you’re downloading digital coupons or clipping sales from the Sunday paper, the feeling of calm that saving money provides cuts heart disease risk by 25%, University of Miami scientists say. Finding a deal ups the production of feel-good oxytocin by 38%, which lowers your heart rate and widens your arteries to improve blood flow.

✓ Catch a catnap

Love cozying up on the couch after a busy day? Smart move! Swiss scientists found folks who take one or two naps a week cut their risk of heart failure, stroke and heart attack by 48%. Short, infrequent power naps help compensate for poor nighttime sleep, allowing your heart more time to rest and repair itself.

✓ Grab a toothpick

Simply cleaning your teeth with a toothpick after eating helps cut your risk of a cardiovascular event like a heart attack or stroke by up to 49%, Swedish research suggests. Removing trapped food along your gums starves the microbes that can travel into your bloodstream and damage blood vessels.