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🌅 Good morning!

Running is hard. Having a coach can help.

That's why BYU women's cross-country coach Diljeet Taylor teamed up with Nike to provide training plans to help runners prepare for the company’s After Dark Tour women’s race series, Krysyan Edler reported.

“Getting athletes to the starting line knowing that their coach believes in them is the best race day preparation,” Taylor said.

She created two training plans that include a six-week 10K plan and a 12-week half-marathon plan on the Nike Run Club app.

I'm on day four of going for a one-mile run every day. It's been a challenge but it's also been incredibly empowering. Maybe I'll check out the 10K plan in a couple months when I can even consider going farther than one mile. Taylor seems like an awesome coach to have.

🏃 Read more about Taylor and her partnership with Nike.

Tell me: What motivates you to run or exercise?

Gov. Cox signs first executive order of 2nd term to fast-track large infrastructure projects

Gov. Spencer Cox signed his first executive order in his second term targeting infrastructure projects.

"Now is a time to build" and "Built here" are two themes Cox plans to use as themes for his administration.

What's the executive order?

The goal is to expand permit review processes that will allow projects to get started more quickly, Brigham Tomco reported.

Who does the executive order impact?

It focuses on the Department of Environmental Quality and the Division of Oil, Gas and Mining in the Utah Department of Natural Resources to get more projects approved and going.

“The focus of this executive order is to empower Utahns to take the lead in creating the world we want for our children and grandchildren,” Cox said in a press release. “It’s about a future of freedom, opportunity and abundance — built here.”

Any concerns about the executive order?

Sarah Fields, the Program Director of Uranium Watch, expressed concern about the order because it could limit public opinion.

"Sometimes it’s a member of the public who knows more about a situation because they’re interested in what’s going on in their neighborhood, their county, their city. So maybe it’s important to be able to tweak a permit or even deny a permit.”

Reset the New Year and your mental health with nature

Getting out in nature is a great way to boost mental health. As daunting as it may sound, even just getting outside and taking a little mental health walk can work wonders.

The supervisor of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest suggests taking advantage of all the beauty Utah has to offer.

“I always just enjoy getting out and looking at nature’s beauty, and I find that to be a great way to reset and get a fresh perspective on the day, the year, whatever might be going on," Dave Whittekiend said.

He added, "I think it is a great opportunity, and I think there are a lot of mental health benefits and physical health benefits to probably disconnecting and getting out and hiking. And, you know, it doesn’t have to be something extreme. It can be just going for a walk. And there’s value in that."

He recommended two easier hikes to get outside this winter: Bells Canyon and Rattlesnake Loop. Just be sure to wear good shoes and be prepared for the cold and possible muddiness on the trails.

Here are a couple other simple ways to reset your mental health in nature, reported by Amy Joi O'Donoghue:

Return to something you did as a child
Sit on a park bench or your front porch and observe nature using all five senses
Incorporate simple art projects in nature

Read more to see the rest of the list and to access more easy suggestions to get out and enjoy nature more this winter.

More in Utah

Park City Mountain ski patrol approves new contract, headed back to slopes (Deseret News)
Why Salt Lake City is changing its garbage day schedule for first time since the ’80s (KSL)
Why leaders of France’s next Olympics are in Utah (Deseret News)
Utah consumer sentiment rises in December (Utah Policy)
How Garin Hess founded Consensus (Utah Business)
Salt Lake has some of the nation's fastest drive times, cell data show (Axios)
'Blazing a new trail': Proposed 200K-acre project aims to reduce 'intense wildfires' in Southern Utah (St George News)

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Health

Fluoride analysis triggers renewed debate over what levels are safe for kids (NPR)
Screen use again tied to preschoolers’ sleep, behavior issues (WebMD)
How the 6-6-6 walking workout can help you lose weight and get fit (Healthline)

Faith

Temple Square is getting 14 new sculptures. Here are the first 2 and what’s next (Deseret News)
Primaries worldwide invited to organize service activities beginning in 2025 (Church News)

The Nation and the World

All 5 living U.S. presidents gather to remember former President Jimmy Carter (Deseret News)
US Border Patrol arrests migrants during latest enforcement operation (ABC News)

Los Angeles wildfires

Home insurers were dropping high-risk clients even before the latest California wildfires. What’s coming next and will it impact Utah homeowners? (Deseret News)
Dozens of Utah firefighters head to California to help battle Los Angeles area fires (KSL)
Latter-day Saint resources and volunteers mobilizing to aid southern California (Deseret News)
California wildfires live updates (NBC News)

Sports

Utah Hockey Club launches $10 ticket programs for college students and Smith’s shoppers (Deseret News)
Remembering the dramatic last time Steve Sarkisian was in the Cotton Bowl — at BYU (Deseret News)
Anticipation — the lesson the Cougars can learn from ketchup (Deseret News)
Sam Darnold went from bust to backup to Pro Bowl quarterback. Can Zach Wilson follow a similar road? (Deseret News)
Utah Jazz vs. Miami Heat analysis (Deseret News)

🗓️ Events Calendar

We put together a calendar list of events and activities going on around the state of Utah during the next month. Check it out and let us know if we are missing anything!

Here are some highlights for events in Utah today:

“Peter Pan” | Covey Center for the Arts
“Lucky Stiff” | Heritage Theatre, Brigham City
Utah Hockey Club vs. San Jose Sharks | Delta Center 7 p.m.
BYU women’s and men’s swimming and diving vs. UC Santa Barbara | Richards Building Pool 4 p.m.
BYU men’s volleyball vs. St. Thomas Aquinas College | Smith Fieldhouse 7 p.m.
U of U women’s and men’s swimming & diving | 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
USU women’s gymnastics vs. SUU | Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 7 p.m.
Weber State men’s and women’s track - Weber State Indoor Invitational | Chick Hislop Outdoor Track

Please reach out to me at sgambles@deseretnews.com if you have any thoughts, feedback or ideas you would like to share!

✨ Cheers ✨

— Gambles

More in Politics

Reset the New Year and your mental health with nature

More in Utah

🗓️ Events Calendar