Once again, I am excited to introduce another guest to my series:
Amazing over 50’s
I am inviting and featuring ‘Mid-lifers’ who are enjoying life over 50 and who are happy to shout out about great health, fitness, lifestyles, work or their achievements etc, but more importantly who are embracing this time of their lives with pride and open arms.
Cheryl Riley is this months guest on the ‘Amazing Over 50’s series. Cheryl writes an interesting lifestyle blog called, ‘Born in a Car’ where she covers various topics, including her travels and various places she’s lived, but by taking that initial big leap in leaving her hometown in Australia to live in Russia, Cheryl shows how ‘stepping out of her comfort zone‘ lead to an exciting future with so many more opportunities in life.
Welcome to ‘loving the fifty something’ Cheryl, and to the ‘Amazing over 50’s’ series.
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I started ‘Born in a Car’ 2 years ago. At first I wanted to start a travel blog. At the time I lived in Moscow, Russia, and had a lot of opportunities to travel not only in Russia, but in Europe. As an Australian, Europe was always so far from me for most of my life, and here I was now in my 50s, and Europe is right next door to me! So at the time I decided to start a blog I’d already been to quite a lot of European cities (as well as some Asian countries) and I was planning to write about that.
But then I realized that I didn’t really ‘travel’ as such, I just went places, ate good food and walked around these places looking at architecture and people, and taking photos. So I decided that instead of a travel blog, it will be a blog about me, things I do, my life etc. And I called it Born in a Car because I really was born in a car!
Born in a Car has become a way for me to share my life, not only with my family, who I left back in Australia 13 years ago, but also with others who might be interested in my lifestyle. I like sharing my stories and my photos with people, and I feel really privileged to be able to do that. I love getting comments, messages and emails from people who enjoy reading my blog, it gives me encouragement to write and share more with them.
Do you remember what turning 50 meant to you?
The lead-up to turning 50 was awful for me. I never wanted to be 50. I didn’t tell people my age after about 40 because I didn’t want to acknowledge that 50 was looming. I didn’t want anyone to know. I don’t look my age so it was quite easy to ‘hide’ it. I guess it’s difficult to admit that we’re getting older and that we’ll probably never have that ‘youthful’ look about us again (jowls anyone?!).
But actually, the day I turned 50 went well. My husband, Olivier, and I were on holiday in Hanoi, Vietnam, at the time, and we spent the day exploring the town, eating great food and soaking up the Vietnamese atmosphere. In the evening we had drinks with a friend, and Olivier told him that it was my birthday and that I was 50 that day. This friend simply raised his drink to me, wished me a happy birthday, and that was it! A very low-key celebration, if you could even call it that! It was perfect.
Now that I’m 53 I’ve had time to get used to my age, and I actually don’t mind telling people how old I am when they ask. I feel comfortable in my skin, jowls and all!
How do you stay fit and healthy?
I eat good food. I rarely eat anything made in a factory (unlike my early years), for example no cakes, biscuits, or ready-made meals (my husband is a chef!). I try not to eat anything that comes from a packet or box. I’m not a vegetarian, but eat meat in moderation. Lots and lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, every day if I can. And a few months ago I removed processed sugar and all chocolate from my diet. I also gave up eating bread, but not completely.
I don’t do any type of sport at all. I started doing some exercises at home in the living room this year. My goal to be able to touch my toes, which I achieved and can still do! But that’s taken a back seat right now because I’m doing a lot of walking around the new town I’m living in (Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria), and it’s a really hilly town, so the leg muscles are getting a good workout!
What are the things you are most proud of achieving after turning 50?
After turning 50? I’m not sure. I did a lot of ‘work’ on myself in my 30s and 40s. I got married at 42 and that really changed me! I had to learn to co-operate and be more considerate to others after being single for so long. I guess after 50 I’ve managed to become more flexible, to accept when I can’t control things (yes, I’m a bit of a control freak), and maybe I’ve learnt not to be so quick to judge people as I used to be. I’m working on self-improvement all the time.
Are there any messages or advice you’d like to give to people who are about to turn 50?
Look after your health. Give up smoking. Eat the rainbow every day. Value and love yourself as you should. And it’s never too late to change.
Thank you Cheryl for being another amazing guest in this series. Your bravery to take such life changing leaps in order to successfully find a more exciting future is truly inspirational.
If you’d like to stay in touch with Cheryl and follow her adventures then her links are below:
Website: https://borninacar.com/
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Borninacar/ (Private group – please join us there!)
Email: cheryl@borninacar.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/borninacar1/
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Amazing Over 50
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Braver than me! Russia! Blimey, get you Cheryl. Sounds like you’re migrating westwards. Hope you make it to the UK for your 60th!
Braver than me too!!
Russia was great! Not nearly as scary as it sounds, except in the beginning when I first arrived and didn’t understand anything, and lived in an old Soviet era flat. Fun times! It does look like I’m migrating westwards, but I’m not. I think Bulgaria is going to remain my base for the rest of my life, but I’m still looking forward to doing a lot of travelling in the future – including the UK! Thanks for reading my interview here, and I hope you’ll pop over to Born in a Car for a look. 🙂
Hi Sam – lovely to see Cheryl (a fellow Aussie – despite her defection to Europe!) She’s led such an interesting life and I’m hanging out for her return to Australia so we can have a coffee together. Meeting a likeminded soul who lives on the other side of the world seems to be the norm with blogging doesn’t it? I just love all these fabulous midlife women who inspire me to be the best version of myself every day.
You’re right, Cheryl seems to have lead such an interesting life, I love that she doesn’t just travel through a place she tries to ‘live’ it. It’s been great to ‘meet’ all these amazing people all with such enthusiasm for life, you included!
Hi Leanne, nobody’s ever accused me of defecting before, but you’re probably right! I really love my life, even when it’s uncertain, scary, new, and I don’t know what tomorrow brings! I’m also waiting for the day to visit ‘home’ again, see my family, and have a cuppa with you – it’s going to be a great day when you and I finally get together! 🙂
Thank you for sharing, Cheryl, really enjoyed reading about your thoughts on being 50, jowls and all. (I see no jowls!)
I am straight on my way over to your blog! We’re planning to tour Russia in the not too distant future and am fascinated to know how you came to live there and how you found the experience. I started learning Russian during lockdown in anticipation…
Hi, thanks for reading my interview! Maybe you don’t see my jowls, but I do! I’d love to tell you what I can about Russia, it’s really a place that’s in my heart forever, and I hope to be able to go and visit many times in the future. Just send me an email if you want more info. I’ve got a fair bit on the blog about Russia, but it depends on where you plan on going when you’re there. Good luck with learning Russian, it was a huge struggle for me – and now I’m trying to learn Bulgarian! My life is not often easy! Looking forward to hearing from you with your Russian questions. 🙂
I see no jowls either! Learning Russian?! Wow I imagine that to be quite a difficult accent
Sam, leaning the Russian language is a special kind of hell. They have very different grammar to English, I don’t envy anyone who’s trying to learn it! It is coming in handy though, because Bulgaria also has the cyrillic alphabet, and some of the words are the same, or nearly the same, so at least I’ve got a head start.
So amazing to be living in a totally different country and to learn their language is very respectful to the country too. When visiting countries I have always tried to learn their language even if it’s only basic to get me through, instead of expecting locals to speak English, it’s also a good ice breaker as I’m usually fairly rubbish so causing a few giggles 🤭
This was such an interesting interview! Thank you Cheryl and Sam. Cheryl, you and I have very similar philosophies about fitness and health. We’ll have to talk about your visit to Vietnam one day. Tim and I have talked about going there. xx
Hi Christina, I’d love to talk to you about Vietnam! Did you know that Olivier’s mother was born in Hanoi? Yes, it’s true! So Olivier’s 1/4 Vietnamese! I love Vietnam, it’s such a beautiful country. I hope to be able to go there again one day. xx
Thank you Christina 😊
HI, Cheryl – It is a pleasure to meet you here. I love the name of your blog. It immediately made me wonder if you were born in a car. It also is a great title for a travel blog. Your openness, honesty, positivity and zest for life shine through in each of your words and descriptions. You also don’t look remotely your age. I look forward to reading more from you.
Hello Donna, and thanks for reading my interview here. And thanks for the compliments. I love writing about my life and my ‘adventures’! I try to keep positive (it’s not always easy!) because life tends to throw a lot of unexpected challenges – especially when you choose the lifestyle I have chosen. I hope to see you over at Born in a Car soon.
Thank you for reading Donna, you’re right the name of Cheryls blog does make you think. 😊
Hi Cheryl, I realized about half way through your interview that I have read your blog. I loved the story about the blue water. I’m not sure how I lost track of you, but now that I’ve found you again, I will make sure to ‘follow.’ Nice to see you here and you don’t look a day over 40!
Hi Suzanne, thank you for reading my interview here at Loving the Fifty Something! And I’m so glad that you ‘found’ me again, look forward to seeing you around at Born in a Car. Hope you’re having a lovely weekend. (And thanks for the compliment).
This is great Suzanne, it’s easy to lose track of blogs, but great to find them again 😊
It was great to learn more about Cheryl. I love her spunk and energy and sense of adventure. I too didn’t tell anyone when I turned 50.
Hi Darlene, thanks for your kind words and I’m glad you enjoyed my interview here at Loving the Fifty Something. I thought I was the only one who didn’t tell people I was turning 50! I hope that you’re just as comfortable with it now as I am. Wishing you a great rest of the week!