How to arrange your kitchen—cooking

Do not stand continuously for prolonged duration while cooking.
Instead use a stool/ chair with adjustable height to sit. Take adequate rest while cooking.

Adjust the height of the chair in such a way that the kitchen platform is 5 cm below the elbow level. This is the distance required for comfortable cooking using a chair. You may get a wooden platform made to achieve this height or get a chair raiser unit.

Use a trolley to shift big utensils from one room to other. The same trolley can double up as a walking aid rest of the time.

Keep the commonly required cooking utensils/ ingredients within easy reach. These objects should never be kept on the shelf. For eaxmple, a cutting board that you require everyday should not be in the top shelf of a cupboard.

Have drawers mounted on rollers as it takes less effort to pull them.

Heavy items/ boxes should never be stored in a location that is above the shoulder level or below the knee level.

Use electrical appliances like a food processor whenever possible to reduce the stress on the joints & consequently the pain & fatigue.

Gather all the items that you need for a particular meal on the table before you actually start cooking. This saves a lot of energy in moving around every now & then to gather various items. Additionally, once all the items are on the table, you can sit on a chair & cook.

Store various items/ supplies in places where they are required the most. For example, storing the soaps, detergent powder, sponges near the sink would conserve energy & increase the efficiency.

Always distribute the weight of objects you carry over multiple joints rather than a single/ few joints.

Always carry pots/ pans & other objects with two hands. Use one hand to hold & the other hand to support the same.

Use assistive devices wherever possible. For example, Insread of tearing open a plastic pack, use a scissor.