ROUTINEOLOGY -- CENTENARIANS -- JAN. 6 HEARING

U.S. Select House Committee on January 6th Hearing -- Tues., July 12

UPDATE:  Hearing time had been changed to 1 pm ET (10 am PT)

     Tuesday, July 12, starting at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT

           (That's Emmy nominations morning in Hollywood.)

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Shirley Horn -- "Here's To Life"                                                                                                 John Williams and The Boston Pops 1993

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ROUTINEOLOGY

Has my daily life become too filled with routine is a question I asked myself recently?   I realize I've been spending more time in my home than in years past partially due to aging's slowing but also as a consequence of efforts to minimize Coronavirus exposure.  Maybe this perpetual sameness so many days after days I feel is beginning to be too repetitive.

Unfortunately, the number of known individuals contracting the latest Covid-19 variants BA 4 and most dominant now BA 5, is increasing exponentially daily.  The actual official infection numbers are less accurate now due to so many home tests in use with the result not being as easily tracked for reporting by health authorities.  Here in SoCal's Los Angeles County, we're being told to possibly expect reinstatement of mandatory mask wearing by month's end if infection rates continue to increase.

These virus variants, especially BA 5 are much more able to avoid some of the protections our vaccinations with boosters have provided.  Much of our U.S. population seems to behave as though this pandemic is over.  Saying or believing so does not make it so.  Covid 19 coronavirus goes about infecting at will, evolving new more virulent variants, not caring what humans may think.

At least, so far, vaccinations and booster shots have seemed to prevent development of more serious illness and deaths for most who become infected.  Still our older population, especially those with various medical conditions are at risk.  I keep wearing my N95 masks when encountering others.  Perhaps I'm being unnecessarily cautious.  

So, it seems my daily routine may continue to be somewhat limited if I want to minimize risk exposure to contracting Covid 19.  To break my routine in what is beginning to feel like a monotony of sameness I've thought I need to introduce new and more activity variation into my life.

Coincidentally, I recently encountered a Business Insider article about routine which introduced a new term to me: "Routineology": https://www.insider.com/people-who-live-to-100-have-habits-in-common-routineology-2021-6

A review I read of the book The Art of Routine said in a Bookshop.org review: 

"Conventional wisdom suggests that the best way to navigate our noisy new world is to accept change.  Open up to novelty.  Go with the flow.  Live in the moment.  Embrace the relentless pelting of content minute by minute.  But routine experts Angel Iscovich, MD, Joe Garner, and Michael Ashley are here to say that's a bad idea.  Humans don't just benefit from structure; they require it."  

I have a certain amount of routine as I've always had during most of my life but too much of the same pattern day after day can lead to a rather boring existence absent excitement.

Some researchers emphasize commonly held healthy habits of those living long lives due to eating mostly "plant foods", also "...maintaining strong relationships, and moving regularly".  Isovich makes his point by focusing on unhealthy habits of some 100 years and older.   

This Insider article reinforces what many scientific studies have shown that routines are important in our lives including throughout our aging years.  Intriguingly, however, this article indicates that healthy eating may not be a necessary feature for all who live a long life.

People 100 or older are only a fraction of a percent of the population.

A few examples cited include centenarians who swear by the significance of their daily intake of potentially unhealthy items such as whiskey or in quantities of ice cream or bacon.

For many years or decades, Elizabeth Sullivan, a retired math teacher in Texas drank three cans of Dr. Pepper daily she reported on her 106th birthday:  

"People try to give me coffee for breakfast.  Well, I'd rather have a Dr. Pepper," she said in a 2015 interview with a local TV station.  "Every doctor that sees me says they'll kill you," she continued.  "But they die and I don't, so there must be a mistake somewhere."

Then there's Agnes Fenton, "... New Jersey's oldest living resident until she died at age 112 in 2017.  Her secret?  Three Miller High Lifes every day and a shot of Johnnie Walker Blue daily, her obituary says."

"Her habit began after her doctor prescribed her alcohol in 1943 to treat a benign tumor.  She maintained it until a few years before her death."

Dr. Iscovich argues that structure is what matters, not so much that it must be healthy.  His conclusion is:  "People who live past age 100 often have 1 trait in common:  a penchant for routine, even unhealthy ones."  

Novel and spontaneous experiences are acknowledged as important for happiness and fulfillment, but "...humans are wired to live rhythmically" as begins in the womb.  This routine extends throughout life into "...the field of chronobiology, or the 24-cycle that affects your sleep, focus, and sociability."

Coordinating these cycles is " ...the key to finding purpose, meaning, joy --- and longevity," Ischovich and his co-author Michael Ashey state, "pursuing those activities that reduce fear of the unknown and mitigate stress [that] can lead to a more controlled environment, offering stability and aiding in longevity."  They also write: "Coupled with the importance of consistent activities is the need for purpose."  

Humans will persist in seeking to learn what extends human life though there seems to be no one simple answer.  Meanwhile, we'll each make judgements  based on the latest scientific findings about what we think we need and adopt those practices.  

I don't think specifically in terms of wanting to live a century or longer.  I do think in terms of wanting to be as healthy as possible with my mind intact for whatever the number of my years.  Quality of life is what matters to me.

That said, perhaps I'm wise to reassess my daily routines to experience the best of life.  What about you?