On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 10th November 2024, Matty Matheson is best known to Kiwis as Neil Fak on Emmy Award winning show The Bear, but he's actually the only cast member who is a real chef. Matty joins Francesca to talk about how he got involved in the show and how he's finding acting.

Author Oliver Burkeman talks about how we need to accept our life is finite and the key to improving your life is to accept you are never going to fix it.

Helen Clark foundation Kali Mercier shares her report questioning who should pay for future insurance premium increases due to climate change risk.

Dr Michelle Dickinson shares the science around aging and standing on one foot.

And the panel gives their verdict on whether Donald Trump will be a better president than Joe Biden.

Get the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast every Sunday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Time of the Child by Niall Williams. Set in a small Irish village, this tells the story of Dr Jack Troy who lives quietly with his unmarried daughter Ronnie. Their lives are changed forever just before Christmas in 1962 when an abandoned baby is found and handed to him, and instead of passing the child on to the correct authorities he finds he simply cannot give her up. I cannot say enough how wonderful this book is - it’s a masterclass in writing and I thought it was sublime.

The Voice Inside by John Farnham. The famous Australian singer - who still holds the record for the biggest selling album ever in Australia (Whispering Jack) has written a memoir about his life and career, and about triumph over adversity. There was a period where his record company turned their backs on him and it looked as though his career might be over, but he managed a comeback - and has also survived a nasty cancer scare. Listeners may recall that his song The Voice was used as the anthem for the referendum held last year, and brought him to a whole new prominence. Above all, he’s a proud survivor.

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Travelling internationally to run a marathon might not be on everyone's bucket list, but it's a growing trend.

People come from far and wide to take part in the seven World Major Marathons - which take place annually in Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York City, Tokyo, and most recently, Sydney.

BloggerAtLarge writer Megan Singleton says there's plenty of marathons all over the world you can experience outside of these seven, including annual marathons at Disney World or across the Great Wall of China.

Read more about Megan's picks for the best - and weirdest - international marathons here.

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This week on The Sunday Panel, director at Capital and political commentator Ben Thomas and senior PR consultant at One Plus One Communications Damien Venuto joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week - and more!

The US election is over and done with, and Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States. Do we think he'll be a good leader - or better than Joe Biden? How can we make the most of a Trump presidency?

Insurance premiums are going up at a rapid rate following an increase in floods and other natural disasters. Who should cover these costs?

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End-of-year burnout is a concern plenty of us grapple with ahead of the Christmas season - but how can we get ahead of it?

Workplace stress, holiday obligations, self-reflection and all the anxieties that come with those can contribute to the stressful feelings.

Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara says it's an important time to prioritise self-care and healthy habits - without adding to the seasonal to-do list.

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Beyonce is set to dominate at the 2025 Grammy Awards, as she's leading the pack with 11 nominations.

It's already a history-making moment for Beyonce - she and her husband Jay-Z were originally tied on 88 nominations, but now she's pulled ahead as the most-nominated artist of all time at the Grammys.

Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall says the other nominees for February's event include Charli XCX, Post Malone, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan and Taylor Swift.

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Author Oliver Burkeman's new book offers readers a reality check on their own limitations - and reveals there's benefits to knowing how finite life is.

Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts tells readers there's a limited time frame to get everything done - and that it's okay to embrace your personal limitations in reaching your goals.

Burkeman says people often distract themselves by thinking about the 'one day' in the future where they'll be on top of things and figure out their lives, but that day often never comes.

"It sort of keeps alive that fantasy where maybe we don't have to feel what it is to be a limited, finite human - which is uncomfortable to face, the truth."

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If you're over 50 and can stand on one leg for at least 30 seconds, you may be aging well, according to recent research published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Unipedal balance testing (standing on one leg) is a known measure of neuromuscular aging.

The study found that as we age, our balance tends to decline more quickly than our walking speed or muscle strength making it a very sensitive predictor of physical ageing.

In the study, 40 healthy individuals aged over 50 (20 aged under 65, 20 aged 65 and older) underwent tests for walking gait, balance, grip strength, and knee strength.

During the balance tests, participants stood on force plates for 30 seconds in different positions:

1. On both feet with eyes open
2. On both feet with eyes closed
3. On their non-dominant leg with eyes open
4. On their dominant leg with eyes open

Standing on one leg, particularly the non-dominant leg, showed the highest rate of decline with age.

Balance is a complex skill that involves muscle strength, visual input, the vestibular system (located in the inner ear), and the somatosensory system, which helps detect and perceive sensations like pain, temperature, and body position.

The researchers also found that grip strength decreased more rapidly with age than knee strength, making it a better predictor of aging while walking gait which was measured by having participants walk back and forth at their own pace along an 8-meter flat walkway did not change significantly with age.

Knowing your grip strength and balance time on each leg can be helpful, as you can improve these areas through targeted exercises, reducing your risk of serious injuries as you age as unintentional falls are the leading cause of injury among adults 65 and older, with most falls resulting from a loss of balance.

So if you want to age gracefully, test your balancing skills and maybe add some strength training to anti-wrinkle cream.

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