Cold weather can affect your body in so many different ways. One of the things that can happen is the potential to lose heat faster than you can produce it resulting in hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature. Hypothermia is often a gradual condition and can result in an altered mental status. However, a body temperature below 95° F is a medical emergency and can lead to death if not treated promptly.
So what do we do to protect ourselves from hypothermia?
They key to staying safe in the cold is to wear several layers of clothing. For example:

• Keep your body heat trapped inside your clothes
• Protect you from cold air, wind, snow, or rain
• Protect you from contact with cold surfaces

You also need both food and fluids to fuel your body and keep you warm. But most importantly, watch for the warning signs. These may include the following:

• Feeling cold.
• Shivering.
• Altered cognitive function as these may be signs that cold is affecting your body and brain.

Lastly, you should always call your physician or 911 if you or someone in your party:

• Does not get better or gets worse after attempting to warm up.
• Has frostbite. NEVER rewarm frostbite on your own. It can be very painful and damaging.
• Shows signs of hypothermia.

Remember to stay warm, safe, and dry during this holiday season.
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Effective 2017, all American Heart Association (AHA) certification cards are issued via e-card and/or distributed to each students' email.
1. You will receive an email from eCards@heart.org with a link inviting you to claim your eCard online. If for some reason you do not receive the email, it is important to check your email spam or junk folder and even add the email address eCards@heart.org to your contacts or address book.
2. The link within the email will direct you to the Student Profile webpage, which will be include your first name, last name, email address, eCard code, AHA Instructor name, and Training Center information. Adding your phone number is optional. Please always check you personal information to ensure that everything is correct-if not; Contact your Training Center!
3. Once you have confirmed that your information is accurate, you will set up a security question and answer to access your eCard(s) in the future.
4. After setting up your security question and answer, accept the terms and conditions of the site and click “Submit.” 
5. You will then be directed to fill out a brief survey about the AHA course you just completed. 
6. After you complete the survey, your eCard will be displayed. You will have 3 options to view or print it: Save as PDF, use QR code to scan information and access card on mobile device, or print either wallet size or full size.
We hope these instructions are helpful. If you still have questions, feel free to contact us directly.