Doesn't it help if the activity is enjoyable? I take pain medicine so I can get things done. The past few days have been very demanding, we had a party for my grandson's christening yesterday, and there was a lot of cleaning and preparation. I took two Percosets per day instead of my usual one, and overdid it. I plan on resting for the next few days, my legs hurt much more than usual.
I am a little depressed. I should, at 50, be at the height of my domestic skills, able to entertain, cook, bake, and serve with consummate ability. Instead I find that a seriously scaled back party, I only made the cake and cleaned, wipes me out. Only last year I made my daughter's wedding gown and did all the cooking for her wedding reception which was at home, including making the wedding cake. It was exhausting, but I could never do so much again and I am sad about losing so much ground.

Enough of my venting, though. Do you find cleaning bathrooms satisfying? Baking is creative and so another creative project might be better. Do you do any needlework or crafts? I find that a new project provides a lot of distraction, even though I work more slowly that I used to. Video games can be very absorbing as well! And there is always the Internet!
Learning about new things has always been the best distraction for me. If cooking is your thing get a bunch of cookbooks on off-beat nutritional theories and see if any ideas resonate with you. Aryuveda, Paleo, Superfoods, etc. Just having something new to think about is exciting and distracting.
Cleaning closets and de-cluttering is more of a creative endeavor. Check out minimalist and simple living blogs and books for inspiration.