podcast
CNN 5 Good Things
How about a break — for your ears? At CNN, we know the news can be a lot to take in. So each week, 5 Good Things offers you a respite from the heavy headlines and intense news cycle. Treat yourself to something fun and uplifting every Saturday as we share the bright side of life from all over the globe.
How to Make Healthy Habits Stick Past January
CNN 5 Good Things
Jan 10, 2026
A health and fitness expert shares how to make healthy habits stick long after January. A chef’s intuition saved a longtime customer who stopped showing up. This highway is made of recycled tires. Meet the Catholic priest preaching in unexpected places. Plus, a specialized court helps veterans heal through recovery, mentorship, and second chances.
Sign up for the CNN 5 Good Things newsletter here.
Host/Producer: Krista Bo Polanco
Producer: Eryn Mathewson
Showrunner: Faiz Jamil
Senior Producer: Felicia Patinkin
Editorial Support: Demetrius Pipkin, Jeff Winter
Episode Transcript
Krista Bo Polanco
00:00:00
Hey there, I'm Krista Bo Palanco, and we got a special one for you today. It's the 100th episode of CNN 5 Good Things. That means in less than two years, we've shared 500 positive stories focusing on the bright side and highlighting the best humanity has to offer. And this episode's no different. So thanks for being part of the party. Let's jump right in.
Donell Stallworth
00:00:22
I mean, you gotta take your eyes off yourself and look at your neighbor. You got to go way beyond that.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:00:27
Some heroes wear capes, but this one wears an apron. When his regular stopped showing up at his restaurant, he and his staff took matters into their own hands. Then in Georgia...
Allie Kelly
00:00:36
Taxpayers benefit because these roads last longer. They're also quieter pavements and they wear your tires more slowly.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:00:44
This nonprofit is literally paving the way for climate innovation in an unlikely place. And you'll meet a Catholic priest who's connecting with massive crowds in a way you might not expect.
Greg Pryer
00:00:55
It really gives you the confidence that you're going to be all right, you can get through this.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:01:00
In this courtroom, veterans are finding support instead of punishment. We gotta take a quick break, but when we come back, some simple strategies that can make healthy habits stick long after January.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:01:17
'We're 10 days into the new year, so be honest, how are those new year's resolutions holding up? If you've already fallen off the wagon on your health goals, it's okay. Mobility and mind-body coach Dana Santas says it's normal and it's fixable.
Dana Santas
00:01:32
Resolutions are this, it's this thing that we, we do every year where we say, okay, I'm going to have discipline that I haven't had for the previous 365 days, and it's unrealistic.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:01:47
She says the problem with sticking through with resolutions isn't because you lack discipline.
Dana Santas
00:01:51
It's not about a lack of trying, it's just a lack of strategy, and when you have the right strategy, you don't have to put in such an uphill effort.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:02:04
That strategy can be creating what's called: keystone habits. She writes about this in more depth at CNN.com. Check out her piece, we've linked it in our show notes. So instead of relying on willpower alone, which we all know can drain pretty quickly, keystone habits are small, repeatable behaviors that become automatic and trigger positive changes in other areas of your life, like reducing stress, getting stronger, and improving your sleep. Dana recommends building keystone habits in three key ways when it comes to health.
Dana Santas
00:02:33
'So conscious breathing is the first one. Mindful movement is the second. And the third one is any practice that is about mind-body connection. They can look different for any person because you want to pair it with your lifestyle. Remember, there has to be strategy that goes along with it.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:02:53
And she says a way to make them stick is something called habit stacking.
Dana Santas
00:02:57
That term was coined by James Clear in his book, Atomic Habits. Then you're just stacking your new lifestyle change onto a habit that already exists. Because if you think about habits that you already have in your life, you have muscle memory that goes along with them.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:03:14
'So for example, Dana suggests pairing conscious breathing with your morning coffee. You can take six deep breaths in and out while you wait for it to brew. Or adding mindful movement to daily routines, like doing bodyweight squats while brushing your teeth. And for a mind-body connection practice, she says it doesn't have to be what it sounds like.
Dana Santas
00:03:34
Meditation can be intimidating for people because they're thinking, oh, I have to clear my mind. I'm not thinking about anything. But truly, a mindfulness meditation means that you're focusing your mind on one thing and you're clearing out all of the clutter. So you can do a mindfulness practice that's just about naming five things in the room around you. It decreases our stress response and puts us in a better state to make more healthy, positive decisions.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:04:02
Dana says over time those keystone habits don't just make you healthier, they change how you see yourself.
Dana Santas
00:04:09
That trickle wown effect where it's like now I'm the person who actually makes better decisions about my health. It's a small change that ends up compounding and having a big positive impact in your lifestyle.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:04:27
'I love this next story. It reminds us to check in on the ones we care about. So Charlie Hicks is a 78-year-old Air Force veteran from Pensacola, Florida. He's a regular at a restaurant called the Shrimp Basket. Every day for about a decade, he'd come in and order the same thing - a warm cup of gumbo, light on the rice, hold the cracker. So back in September, when Charlie didn't show up as usual, people started to notice.
Donell Stallworth
00:04:52
I know something was wrong because he don't miss no days.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:04:56
Donell Stallworth runs the kitchen at the Shrimp Basket. They got in touch with Charlie and found out he was sick, so they dropped off his gumbo outside his house.
Donell Stallworth
00:05:03
But I was just like, that third day I was like, something just told me to grab my keys and head out to go try to find him and what's going on with him.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:05:11
So we drove to Charlie's apartment and found him severely dehydrated on the floor with two broken ribs. He was so weak, he could barely speak.
Charlie Hicks
00:05:19
I fell in the kitchen. The only option I had left, since the battery was dead in my phone, was to maybe crawl out the front door and lie on the sidewalk. Somebody found me. I was down to that. But then Donell opened the door and they called 911 and the ambulance came and got me.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:05:40
Didn't show up when he did, Charlie says he's not sure what would have happened. The Air Force veteran spent the next two months in the hospital and rehab, but the Shrimp Basket crew showed up for him in more ways than one.
Donell Stallworth
00:05:51
We all pulled together each day. If it was in the hospital bringing them gumbo, if it was at rehab, we were bringing them gumbos. We was bringing them magazines. We was cheering them up just by being able to be there at his side.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:06:04
They also helped him move into an apartment right next door to the restaurant.
Donell Stallworth
00:06:08
We started going in, fixing up the house, painting, bringing in appliances. It was all because we love him and we're trying to make the best for him.
Charlie Hicks
00:06:17
It's pretty awakening is might be the best way to put it. I don't belong to any group or any anybody else my age so everything worked out just the best it could I guess.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:06:33
'What started as a daily lunch routine turned into something Charlie never expected - a family.
Donell Stallworth
00:06:38
And that's what people missing out at right there, because ain't nobody taking time out to support each other and look out for each other. I mean, you gotta take your eyes off yourself and look at your neighbor.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:06:52
'Highways aren't exactly where you'd expect climate solutions to take place, but along an 18-mile stretch of Interstate 85 on the Georgia-Alabama border, drivers are testing out a new kind of road made out of recycled waste.
Allie Kelly
00:07:07
Scrap tire piles are a problem in our communities and you can actually manage those scrap tires into material for our roadways and the taxpayers benefit because these roads last longer. They're also quieter pavements and they wear your tires more slowly.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:07:25
Allie Kelly is the executive director of a nonprofit called The Ray.
Allie Kelly
00:07:29
We're trying to incorporate advancements in infrastructure and technology that will help make highways safer, cleaner, and more efficient to support the economy and our communities.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:07:42
This is one of 13 different projects the Ray is testing in partnership with the Georgia Department of Transportation. Not to state the obvious, but transportation keeps the economy moving, growing to become the fifth largest contributor to the U.S.'s GDP in 2022. But the EPA found that it's also the nation's biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, and the Ray thinks it can change that. The group started in Georgia, but Allie says they're now working with more than half of state transportation departments, seaports and airports in the country. With a lofty goal in mind.
Allie Kelly
00:08:14
In an ideal world, net zero in transportation would be zero deaths, zero carbon emissions from vehicles, and zero waste from the transportation sector. It's absolutely possible and the tools are available for us to use.
Padre Guillerme song
00:08:34
We want peace.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:08:38
Now that's a message and a beat I could get behind. And the artist on this new melodic techno track might surprise you.
Padre Guillerme
00:08:44
And when I'm playing, I need to imagine like a kind of sermon, not with my words, but with electronic music. Let the music speak.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:08:56
Padre Guillerme is a DJ, but he's also a Catholic priest, with 4.8 million followers on Instagram and TikTok combined. He went viral last year playing a set outside a cathedral in Slovakia. The event had all the bells and whistles a typical rave does. Strobe lights, fun visuals, deep beats, but it also included a message from Pope Leo.
Padre Guillerme song ft. Pope Leo XIV
00:09:17
Dear young people, with joy I greet you. As you gather
Krista Bo Polanco
00:09:22
The clergyman from Portugal believes music can help connect people with faith.
Padre Guillerme
00:09:26
The sacred music is our treasure, so it's bringing our traditions, our best traditions to the dance floor, outside of the church.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:09:38
'Padre Guillerme didn't start DJing until he was in his late 30s. The 51-year-old has since played to massive sold-out crowds and he's releasing an album next month. The song you heard at the top of this segment is part of a new EP he released last week on World Peace Day with Lux Aeterna Records called, "We Want an Unarmed and Disarming Peace." Now, you may be thinking, do priests belong at raves? If you are, then Padre Guillerme thinks you're missing the point.
Padre Guillerme
00:10:05
If you want to find bad things on electronic music, you will find them. But also you will find human beings. So you need to decide if you want to be close to them or not.
Padre Guillerme song
00:10:19
We want peace
Krista Bo Polanco
00:10:24
Coming Up..
Greg Pryer
00:10:25
It really gives you the confidence that you're gonna be all right, you can get through this.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:10:29
In this court, veterans have each other's backs when they need support the most.
Greg Pryer
00:10:35
Anything that would put a veteran in connection with another veteran to help them through a personal problem can only be positive.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:10:43
'Greg Pryer is a proud U.S. Marine and retired police officer. After four years in the military and 16 years on the force, the 51-year-old says he's found new purpose through the Suffolk County Veterans Court in the state of New York. This is a specialized part of the local court system, and it's designed to help struggling service members charged with certain crimes get into substance abuse programs and mental health counseling - instead of doing jail time.
Greg Pryer
00:11:08
So the court really looks at an underlying reason, why did this veteran end up in court? And how can we help him or her help themselves?
Krista Bo Polanco
00:11:18
The veterans referred to this court must follow structured treatment plans that generally last 12 to 18 months.
Greg Pryer
00:11:24
'They also offer an array of other self-help programs if you want to work on yourself. I still have a support group outside of the court that are now friends of mine. It's great in a sense in that when you help somebody else, you help yourself. It's almost a hard phenomenon within the program of recovery. And when you see it that way, it's, I'll never say easy, but it certainly becomes achievable.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:11:54
The court has been operating for 15 years and has worked with hundreds of veterans, including Greg. He's been through the program twice for unregistered firearms. Both times he received counseling for alcohol abuse and PTSD and completed the most recent program last year. He says the judge who oversees the court is an army reservist who's played a key role in his recovery.
Greg Pryer
00:12:15
He always ends his conversation with you. Is there anything we can do for you? And that man means it. It really gives you the confidence that you're going to be alright. You can get through this.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:12:27
And New York isn't the only state that offers this kind of program. Data from the Department of Veteran Affairs shows there are nearly 750 similar programs in 49 states that can offer lifelines to veterans. To learn more about Greg's journey and the program, check out the story written by our colleague, Jeff Winter on CNN.com. It's also in our show notes.
Krista Bo Polanco
00:12:49
All right, that's all for now. Thank you so much for listening and spending your time with us. Whether it's been through all 100 episodes or just this one, we really appreciate you and hope you're feeling a little lighter. If you like this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend or a family member or leaving us a good rating or review wherever you listen. It helps us spread the good vibes. And new episodes drop every Saturday. Don't forget to join us tomorrow for the next edition of CNN One Thing. Have a good day. Take care. Until next time.
