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Pacing and Energy-Conservation Tips
Keep in mind that if you are recovering from cancer or cancer treatment, these adjustments may be temporary; they are designed to facilitate your ability to heal. Many of them are practical suggestions that can help anyone to spend more time doing the things he or she enjoys.
In General
- Learn to set priorities and eliminate unnecessary tasks.
- Plan ahead; avoid last-minute changes and rushing.
- Plan activities to avoid unnecessary walking and stair-climbing.
- Ask for assistance when you need or want it.
Home
- Ask the mail and newspaper delivery persons to bring the mail and the papers to your door.
- Create a paper management center where you pay bills, organize coupons, and so forth.
- On a conveniently located bulletin board, post important dates, menus for food delivery services, and phone numbers.
- Use commercial organizers to save space and improve organization.
Cooking
- Sit down to prepare meals.
- Keep the supplies most frequently used within easy reach.
- Slide or roll heavy items toward you before lifting them.
- Prepare extra food so that you will have leftovers for other meals.
- Use prepared foods and mixes whenever possible.
- Place refrigerated items most often used at trunk or chest level to avoid reaching and bending.
- Wear an apron with pockets, and use them to carry small items.
- Use a wheeled cart to move items from the refrigerator to the table or wherever else they are needed.
- Use disposable plates, napkins, and eating utensils for easy cleanup.
- Use wide-handled cooking pans and bowls (which require less strength to grip) for stirring, chopping vegetables, and so forth.
- Use an electric blender for mixing and chopping.
- Use an electric can opener.
- Instead of using the oven (which requires a lot of bending and reaching), use a toaster oven, a slow-cooking pot, or an electric skillet.
- Line baking pans with foil, to avoid messy cleanup.
- Use the front burners on the stove so that you won't have to reach so far.
- Use a timer to avoid needing to get up and down to check whether the meal is done.
- Soak dishes first to reduce the need to scrub.
- Let dishes air-dry.
- Use a dishwasher if possible.
Cleaning
- If possible, hire someone to clean your home regularly.
- Decorate your home simply to avoid having to dust around small decorative items.
- Use a long-handled duster.
- Use a long-handled dustpan when sweeping the floor.
- Use a self-propelled vacuum cleaner.
- Use a squeegee mop or a long-handled sponge to wipe down the shower or bathtub.
- Use a wheeled cart to take out the trash.
- Don't buy economy-size cleaning products; stick with the smaller sizes that are more manageable.
Laundry
- Avoid lifting containers of detergent or bleach; instead, use a cup or other measuring utensil to dispense what you need.
- Use multipurpose laundry products, such as detergents with bleach, to save a step.
- Do small laundry loads to avoid excessive lifting and carrying.
- Use a rubber plunger for hand washables to avoid arm and hand fatigue.
- Consider cleaning even hand washables in the washing machine, set on the delicate cycle.
- Place a table in the laundry area from which clothes can be loaded into the washer and unloaded from the dryer.
- Buy clothing that doesn't need to be ironed.
- Use a high-quality, lightweight travel iron for all your ironing.
- Don't iron items such as sheets, towels, and pajamas.
- Sit down when you iron (you can iron on the kitchen table with a towel protecting the table).
- Use a dry cleaning service that offers pickup and delivery.
Yard Work
- Keep your yard simple and avoid excessive gardening.
- Ask a friend or hire someone to mow your lawn and trim your hedges.
- Ask a friend or hire someone to plow your driveway and shovel your walkway in the winter.
Bathing
- Sit down for your bath or shower (use a nonskid tub bench or shower chair).
- Keep all bathing products on a shelf within easy reach.
- Use shampoo with built-in conditioner to save a step.
Dressing
- Sit down to dress.
- Select simple clothing without a lot of buttons, snaps, or hooks.
- Buy sturdy but lightweight shoes.
- Wear simple shoes with laces, straps, or buckles.
- Sit down and use a long-handled shoehorn to put on shoes.
Grooming
- Sit down for grooming.
- Lay out grooming products and makeup in the order you want to use the items.
- Use an electric toothbrush.
- Buy multipurpose products to save steps (for example, moisturizer with sunscreen).
- Use an overhead hair dryer rather than a hand-held blow dryer.
Grocery Shopping
- Order groceries by phone, fax, or computer and have them delivered.
- Always use a grocery list; develop a standard shopping list so you won't need to write a new one each time.
- Ask that perishables be bagged separately so that all the groceries won't have to be put away immediately.
- If you are bringing your own groceries home (not having them delivered), use a wheeled cart to transport them from the car to the house.
- Buy smaller cartons and packages to minimize lifting (for example, buy two quarts of milk rather than a half gallon).
- Ask friends or neighbors to pick up extra items when they go shopping.
- Shop consistently in a store you know well, because you can find items easily there (saving steps).
- Check the supermarket directory to avoid hunting for obscure items.
Office
- Sit in a chair with a firm back, lumbar support, and arm rests.
- Keep papers and documents at eye level by using a copy stand or document holder.
- Consider using a trackball instead of a mouse for your computer.
- Be sure your arms are supported when writing or keyboarding (special forearm rests, sometimes called data arms, are available commercially).
- Plan your workstation so as to avoid getting up too many times or constantly needing to reach for items.
- Consider using voice-activated software for your computer rather than typing.
Leisure
- Use a bookstand or copy stand when you read books or magazines.
- Use a speakerphone or a telephone headset or an ear set to avoid needing to hold the phone receiver.
- Use a remote control to change television channels or radio stations.
- Avoid low chairs.
Errands
- Use an automatic garage-door opener and an automatic car starter.
- Turn on cruise control when driving long distances.
- Consider obtaining a handicapped parking permit if you can benefit from one.
- If you are overly fatigued with walking, you can use motorized scooters that are available in malls and other stores.
- Carry things in a pack that attaches around your waist (a "fanny pack") to avoid arm fatigue.
- If you need to carry a purse or briefcase, make it as light as possible and use a shoulder strap.
- Combine errands to avoid extra trips.
- Call ahead for appointments to limit the amount of time you have to wait.
- Call ahead to see if what you are picking up is ready.
- Ask friends if they are going to some of the places where you have errands. They may be able to drop off or pick up something for you.
- Schedule appointments either first thing in the morning or right after lunch to avoid waiting.
- Ask for prescriptions to be called in to the pharmacy by the doctor's office, saving you a trip.
Travel
- Make a packing list and use it whenever you travel.
- Pack a small bag with just the essentials.
- Buy travel-size items in order to limit what you have to pack and carry.
- Use luggage with wheels and arrange for a porter whenever possible.
- If your flight is canceled, use a phone at the airport to arrange for a new flight instead of standing in a long line at the counter.