What Being an ER Nurse Taught Me About Health
Being an ER nurse completely changed how I view health. I learned that health isn’t about looking a certain way—it’s about being strong, capable, and able to live your life fully. You can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you care for yourself today. Move your body, fuel it well, prioritize recovery, and don’t wait for a health scare to start appreciating what your body can do. Health is a privilege. Treat it like one.
Maddy DiCioccio
8/9/20262 min read
What Being an ER Nurse Taught Me About Health
Working as an ER nurse completely changed the way I look at health. When you work in an emergency room, you see people on some of the hardest, scariest, and most unexpected days of their lives. And it gives you a very different perspective on what it actually means to be “healthy.”
Health is so much MORE than how you look.
It’s being able to walk up a flight of stairs without struggling.
It’s having the strength to get yourself off the floor.
It’s having energy to spend time with the people you love.
It’s taking care of your body before it forces you to pay attention.
One of the biggest things nursing taught me is that we often take our bodies for granted when they’re working well. We complain about having to exercise and get frustrated when progress feels slow. We obsess over a number on the scale or whether our body looks a certain way. Being surrounded by illness, injury, and loss gave me a different appreciation for movement that I didn't have prior.
Being able to move your body is a privilege.
That doesn’t mean you need to train seven days a week, eat perfectly, or make fitness your entire life..I think health becomes much more sustainable when we stop chasing perfection. Walk more. Take the time to build sustainable muscle. Drink your water, prioritize your sleep, do your best at managing your stress. Go to your appointments and know your numbers. GO out to dinner, eat dessert, travel, celebrate, and enjoy your life, just do these things in moderation.
Life can change in quite literally an instant.. taking care of yourself isn’t about trying to control everything that happens to you; it's impossible. It’s about taking ownership of the things we can control. I used to think about fitness much more in terms of performance and appearance. Nursing helped me understand that strength has a much bigger purpose.
I want to be strong enough to live independently for as long as possible.
I want strong bones and muscles as I age.
I want the cardiovascular fitness to keep doing the things I love.
I want energy.
I want resilience.
I want my body to be capable.
So yes, changing your body composition and feeling confident in your clothes can absolutely be a goal or even getting stronger, or running faster can be great goals, but don’t forget the bigger picture while you’re chasing them. Your health should be supporting the life you’re trying to build. Take care of your body because you love what it allows you to do; not because you hate the way it looks.
Don’t wait until your health becomes a problem to start valuing it.