HeartCert CPR St. Cloud MN

Affordable CPR Training near you

American Heart Association

Eat Low-Cholesterol Food for Better Heart Health

by Leave a Comment

It has long been known that cholesterol is a major contributor to heart and vascular disease. Now, a new advisory has been issued by the American Heart Association, urging people to eat foods that are naturally lower in cholesterol and saturated fat.

cholesterol
photo credit: @ella-olsson-572949 accessed 01/09/20 via CC0

Focus on Diet, Not a Number

You might be asking: isn’t this the same advice we’ve been getting from doctors and researchers for decades? Yes, but with one significant difference. Experts no longer support a specific numerical limit on cholesterol. Rather, the advisory encourages a diet of naturally low-cholesterol foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains. Perhaps more importantly, saturated fats from full-fat dairy and meat, as well as salt, sugar and processed foods, should be avoided.

Looking for ways to reduce dietary sodium? Read our blog post!

There are a few caveats. Small amounts of specific high-cholesterol foods are safe to consume. This includes eggs (about one per day) or an equivalent of lean meat or protein.

Why is Cholesterol Harmful?

Some cholesterol is essential for the body to function. However, when too much saturated fat is consumed, an excess of cholesterol can build up in the blood. This can cause deposits to form in the arteries, potentially blocking blood flow and leading to heart attack or stroke.

How to Limit Cholesterol Intake

Experts recommend a Mediterranean-style diet, which traditionally focus on fresh produce, whole grains and healthy fats. Not sure where to start? Check out our blog post with heart-healthy eating tips.

Register For a CPR Class Today

 

HeartCert CPR is your trusted training partner for CPR, ACLS, PALS, EMR and First Aid in the Twin Cities and throughout Minnesota. We offer online, night and weekend classes to fit your busy schedule!

HeartCert offers a variety of courses, including CPR/AED/First Aid and CPR/AED, Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Emergency Medical Responder – First Responder (EMR). Courses and certifications from both the American Heart Association and American Red Cross are available.

Find your CPR class at any of our convenient Twin Cities locations, including our new headquarters, HeartCert CPR Eagan.

HeartCert Designated an AHA Training Center

by Leave a Comment

HeartCert CPR is pleased to announce that, after serving the public for over 10 years, it has recently entered into an agreement with the American Heart Association (AHA) to become an official AHA Training Center. 

training center
image c/o American Heart Association

This puts HeartCert in a better position to serve its customers, instructors and the general public. As an official Training Center, HeartCert will be able to operate directly under and with the AHA for more efficient operations, lower costs and greater potential for continued growth.

When designating its Training Centers, the AHA looks at a multitude of factors including the company history, marketing, past and future growth, company stability, operations and more. The fact that HeartCert was selected through such an in-depth process validates our years of hard work to serve you.

Training Centers operate directly with the AHA and are able to teach instructor courses, sell CPR certification cards and provide support to anyone wanting or needing to teach or take a CPR class. We are humbled, honored and excited about this next step for HeartCert, which will help us better serve the entire Twin Cities CPR community – and beyond!

Register For a CPR Class Today

 

If you are interested in taking a CPR course or becoming an instructor, HeartCert has the tools, processes and instructors to serve you. Contact us today to see how we can help!

HeartCert CPR is your trusted training partner for CPR, ACLS, PALS, EMR and First Aid in the Twin Cities and throughout Minnesota. We now offer online, night and weekend classes to fit your busy schedule!

HeartCert offers a variety of courses, including CPR/AED/First Aid and CPR/AED, Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Emergency Medical Responder – First Responder (EMR). Courses and certifications from both the American Heart Association and American Red Cross are available.

Find your CPR class at any of our convenient Twin Cities locations, including our new headquarters, HeartCert CPR Eagan.

A Brief History of CPR

by Leave a Comment

It’s back to school season in Minneapolis and across the country, so we decided it might be a good time for a history lesson! According to the American Heart Association, CPR has existed in some form for hundreds of years, with the current method only developed within the last century.

history
Photo c/o the American Heart Association

It’s unclear whether any of these tactics actually worked, but it’s interesting to see how CPR has changed throughout history.

Flagellation Method – Early Ages

This entailed whipping with stinging nettles, or striking with the hands or a wet cloth in order to rouse a response from the victim.

Bellows Method – 1530s

Rescuers used fireplace bellows, which were traditionally used to blow air into a lagging fire, to force air into the lungs.

Inversion and Barrel Methods – 1770s

Primarily used in drownings, the inversion method entailed hanging victims upside down to remove pressure from the lungs. In the barrel method, victims were rolled over a barrel to force chest compressions.

 

Register For a CPR Class Today

 

Trotting Horse Method – 1800s

Similar to the barrel method, pressure was manually applied to the chest – this time, by laying over a trotting horse.

Leroy Method – 1820s

This tactic was similar to today’s hands-only CPR, in that victims were laid on their back. Pressure was then applied to the abdomen and chest.

Dalrymple Method – 1830s

This entailed placing a long cloth underneath a person lying on their back, crossing the cloth over the chest, and two people pulling on each end.

Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation – 1958

The rescuer blows into the victim’s mouth, forcing air into the lungs.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation – 1960

This was a combination of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions.

Hands-Only CPR – 2008

In an effort to motivate more bystanders to perform CPR, the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation portion of modern CPR was removed.

Ready to learn hands-only CPR and be prepared to save a life? Register for a St. Paul CPR training course today.

HeartCert CPR is your trusted training partner for First Aid and CPR in the Twin Cities and throughout Minnesota. We now offer online, night and weekend classes to fit your busy schedule! We offer a variety of courses, including CPR/AED/First Aid and CPR/AED, Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Emergency Medical Responder – First Responder (EMR).

Find your CPR class at any of our convenient Twin Cities locations, including our new headquarters, HeartCert CPR Eagan.

Why Office Workers Should be Trained in CPR

by Leave a Comment

Office Setting

People spend a majority of their time at their workplace, so it’s very likely that they could have a heart attack at work. When this kind of incident occurs, will you be prepared to step in and help out? The best way to help out a co-worker who’s in cardiac arrest is to know how to perform CPR and why CPR is a great asset to have at the office.

Knowing CPR Can Save Lives

Thousands of people each year have cardiac arrest in the United States and often they have these heart problems where they spend the majority of their day – in the office.

What does CPR do to help? CPR helps with keeping the person’s blood circulating until an ambulance arrives. If someone in the office doesn’t know CPR, the person affected by cardiac arrest has a decreased chance of survival.

CPR is Different than Performing Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation

One of the main reasons that many people do not perform CPR to help fellow co-workers is because they are hesitant to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to someone else in the office. If you don’t feel comfortable giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, doing hands-only CPR can be just as effective and is better than standing by and doing nothing.

You Can Become a Bigger Asset in Your Office

Knowing how to provide immediate support with CPR will not only save a life but will make you more valuable in the office environment. The people who take the time to learn CPR will be an asset to those who have heart attacks and knowing CPR can add a valuable skill to your resume.

Learning How to Perform Hands-Only CPR Isn’t That Difficult

It’s not too time consuming or difficult to learn how to do hands-only CPR, so why wait to learn how to perform CPR? We offer FREE CPR and First Aid courses through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota? Sign up while there’s are still available spots!

Are you a manager or business owner interested in providing in-office CPR training? Contact us to set up a course at your location.

 

HeartCert CPR is your trusted training partner for First Aid and CPR in Minnesota. Find your CPR Class, PALS Class, BLS Class or ACLS Class at any of our Minnesota locations:

We also partner with Appleton and Anchorage for select classes.

The American Heart Association is Switching From Paper Certifications to eCards: What You Need to Know

by Leave a Comment

The American Heart Association will soon switch from paper cards to AHA eCards for all certifications moving forward. Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming switch.

What is an AHA eCard?

According to the AHA: An AHA eCard is the electronic equivalent of a printed AHA course completion card. This is the new certification cards that are issued to those who successfully pass a CPR/AED/First Aid or BLS/ACLS/PALS class. eCards are valid course completion cards and can be presented to employers as proof of successful completion of an AHA course. eCards are available only for provider-level courses in the United States. Paper cards are no longer available.

Why Use an AHA eCard?

eCards are more secure than printed cards. A three-point verification by the Training Center Coordinator (TCC), Instructor and the student, is required to issue and claim eCards. eCard information is populated electronically by the TCC or Instructor and can only be altered by the TCC or AHA Customer Service by using AHA’s My CardsTM. eCards can be easily verified by employers at www.heart.org/cpr/mycards to prove issuance by a valid TC and Instructor aligned with that TC.

How Do I Use an AHA eCard?

As soon as you complete an American Heart Association course through HeartCert CPR, your card will be processed. Cards are processed weekly and you’ll receive a notification via the email address you provided during your course. Please note that participants will receive an email from the AHA after class and must click on the link in the email to claim their card. This is the student’s responsibility as no one else is able to claim or access the card prior to this step.

On your eCard, you’ll find the various sections:

  1. eCard status. Green means it’s active, yellow means the card has expired.
  2. Participant name, course name and eCard code. The eCard code is used to validate the participant’s card     (i.e. for employment, etc.). It is unique to each person.
  3. Course date and recommended renewal date. Renewal date is always 2 years out, the last day of the month.
  4. Training center and instructor information.
  5. My Cards website. Where participants can view/print their eCard and employers validate eCards.

sample card numbers_preview

If you have any questions on your AHA eCard, please contact us. All American Heart Association Training Centers are switching to E-cards and paper cards will no longer be available.

HeartCert CPR is your trusted training partner for First Aid and CPR in Minnesota. Find your CPR Class, PALS Class, BLS Class or ACLS Class at any of our Minnesota locations:

We also partner with Appleton and Anchorage for select classes.

Conquer Cravings with These Heart-Healthy Substitutions

by Leave a Comment

man eating donut

Wouldn’t life be simpler if we could just wave away food cravings? It would definitely make losing weight a lot easier. As tempting as that sounds, there’s no sure-fire way to banish cravings once and for all. But you can satisfy cravings with healthier food instead of reaching for junk food.

A lot of cravings are texture-based: you want the crunch of potato chips or the smoothness of a slushie. The American Heart Association created a full guide of nutritious snacks no matter what texture you’re craving:

Creamy

Instead of this: While ice cream may come to mind first, there are a variety of other smooth snacks that can be just as satisfying.
Try munching on this:

  • Fresh avocado spread on whole grain bread OR ½ avocado eaten plain with a spoon
  • Warm 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter in the microwave for 10 seconds and drizzle over ½ cup low-fat, no added sugar frozen yogurt.
  • Puree some berries and swirl into a cup of low-fat yogurt with no sugar added.

Crunchy

Instead of this: Pretzels and chips have a crunchy texture that you may crave, but they can come with a lot of extra sodium that you don’t need. 
Try munching on this:

  • ¾ cup whole grain cereal, no added sugar
  • Crunchy unsalted nuts
  • Whole grain crisp breads
  • Plain popcorn; to add some flavor, experiment with various spices like cinnamon or your favorite spice or herb

Liquid

Instead of this: Sweet tea or soda may sound refreshing, but it can take a while to work off all those empty calories. A medium-sized fancy mocha coffee drink with whipped cream can be 400 calories- and that’s before adding sugar or honey. 
Try sipping on this:

  • Plain iced tea made with a squeeze of lemon. You can sweeten with berries or a non-caloric sweetener
  • Add fruit slices to a glass and fill with club soda
  • Instead of the fancy mocha drink, choose a small latte made with nonfat milk and topped with cinnamon which is about a quarter of the calories.

Squishy

Instead of this: Jelly-like candies or even kids’ “fruit” snacks might sound like squishy fun in your mouth, but other options pack more nutrition.
Try munching on this:

  • Fresh grapes are sweet and juicy; freeze them for a few minutes for a fun texture
  • Make tapioca pudding with squishy tapioca pearls; follow the directions on the box, only use half the amount of sugar or a non-caloric sweetener and fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk
  • Cherry tomatoes and room-temperature string cheese are squishy, stringy fun

Crispy

Instead of this: Some folks may not like apples because they can be soft and mealy or grainy; the same can be true of over-cooked potatoes.
Try munching on this:

  • Choose crisp apple varieties like: Braeburn, Honey Crisp, Fuji and Gala; avoid Cortland, Red Delicious or Rome which can be softer
  • Choose red potatoes or white potatoes and don’t overcook; avoid Russet potatoes which are high in starch making them perfect for mashed potatoes – but also making them seem ‘mealy or grainy’

Check out even more healthy eating tips on our blog.

HeartCert CPR is your trusted training partner for First Aid and CPR in Minnesota. Find your CPR Class, PALS Class, BLS Class or ACLS Class at any of our Minnesota locations:

We also partner with Appleton and Anchorage for select classes.