I spent three days deep in hockey country of the twin cities of Minnesota. In those three days I was inundated with hockey — starting with a late night viewing of the movie Miracle about the 1980 gold-winning Olympic team, followed by cheering for my nephew in a game of pee-wee hockey, and culminating in playing a game of hockey with kids ages 5 to 45. Yes, when you're skating outside on a rink made in the local park by flooding a baseball field, you become a kid again.

With light snow falling, I played my first pickup game of hockey and gosh-oh-gee it was fun. Playing hockey is a workout that I like to call intervals on ice. It is serious anaerobic training as you sprint between the goals, switching between defense and offense. It is a scrappy game, but important to follow the no checking rule, especially when playing against men a foot taller and children a foot shorter than yourself, as was my case.

The thrill of chasing a puck on ice makes time fly by as you burn plenty of calories. Dressing in layers is key; once you start moving you're going to want to peel the top layers off and I recommend base layers with wicking properties because you will sweat. If you have padding or gear I recommend it, since falling is a common issue with beginner players and ice is not so soft. I also think a helmet is a good idea — protect your noggin from a hit on the ice. The day after the game, I was sore in my forearms and low back, so make sure to stretch out your wrists and do some spinal twists post game.

If you live in a wintry place, outdoor hockey is a great way to exercise and it's cheap. You don't have to pay any rink fees. Any hockey players out there?

We've all been journaling about our food and fitness, but now it's time to take to the kitchen. This week's challenge: post a recipe in the Get Fit For 2010 community group using the recipe template and be sure to add your original photo. Cooking your own meals is a great way to watch not only your calories but portion sizes as well. And since we are all in this together, swapping recipes is a great way to refresh your home cooked meals. Here's the 411 on how to create a recipe in the Get Fit group. When you post your recipe in the community group, you will be automatically entered for a chance to win our weekly prize — a $100 Nike gift card.

Meeting this challenge also enters you to win our fabulous grand prize: a $1,000 gift card from Nike; a year of personalized nutrition plans by nutritionist Alexa Fishback, plus a copy of her book; a year membership to 24 Hour Fitness for you and a friend; and two Bodybuggs. At the end of three months, we will pick a grand prize winner at random from all of the entries in all of the weekly challenges. The more you participate, the more chances you have to win the grand prize! A little extra motivation to help you meet your healthy goals for 2010.

If you're not already a member of the PopSugar Community, register here now. Click here for the official rules.

You have until 11:59 p.m. PST on Sunday, Feb. 14, to complete this fifth challenge. Let's get cooking!

We have a three-month-long Get Fit For 2010 contest going on here at FitSugar. And you know what a contest means? Winners! I am thrilled to announce our first two winners of the Get Fit community challenge and contest. Please help me congratulate the following Sugar users:

• Week one winner is NoahsMommy23. She wrote that her health goal for the year was to lose the weight she gained when pregnant by upping her weekly visits to the gym.
• Week two winner is michlny, who responded "I love Nike!" upon learning she won.

Have you completed this week's challenge yet? Share a healthy recipe in our Get Fit group to enter to win a $100 gift card from Nike, as well as our grand prize. The more you participate, the more chances you have to win. Did you know that video blogging or creating a gallery of photos both count as two entries? Yep! You receive credit for two entries when you video blog or create a gallery. So join the fun and find new recipes to tempt your palate without wrecking your waistline.

"I think exercise tests us in so many ways, our skills, our hearts, our ability to bounce back after setbacks. This is the inner beauty of sports and competition, and it can serve us all well as adult athletes."
— Peggy Fleming, American figure skating Olympic gold medalist.

Need a little more motivation? Check out all of my words that move you.

'Tis the season to hit the slopes. Yee haw! But if you're not well prepared, a day on the mountain can be pretty miserable. I have found that if my toes and my ears are warm, I am a happy skier. This is why I was stoked to test some gear a few cold weather gear companies sent my way.

I skied recently on a couple of seriously snowy windy days up in the Lake Tahoe area and was amazed that my toes stayed warm with the Women's Ski Light ($21) by Teko. This is the greenest sock around, made of merino wool in factories powered by wind. It is the perfect combination of thickness and wicking, with a little extra shin padding for your tight boots. This sock is thin, so you can keep your boots tight, but it manages to perfectly insulate your toes from the elements. Though the socks do stretch out a bit easily, I think they will hold up well as long as they don't get thrown in the drier.

As for my head, it was completely covered with the Alpine Hat ($28) by Outdoor Research, made of windproof fleece. This hat is cut to cover your ears, which is essential for the lift time on windy days. The hat fit perfectly under my ski helmet, for it is thin yet warm. My head stayed quite toasty when I went sledding sans helmet too. What this hat might lack in cuteness, it makes up for with practicality and warmth.

Have you hit the slopes yet this season?