There’s nothing like a New Year’s resolution to make you lose all faith in yourself. The shortest route to an empty bank account is a vow to save money. Pledge to eat healthier and it’s a sure bet you’ll be gorging on nachos before sundown. And as for getting in shape—don’t even get us started. Let’s be honest: January was not invented so that you could remake yourself. January was invented to put health clubs and Jenny Craig outlets in the black. Are we cynical? Of course we are. How could it be otherwise on the boulevard of broken promises?

And yet. (You knew this was coming, right?) Maybe 2015 will be different. Maybe we’ve been going about this whole getting-in-shape thing the wrong way. Maybe it shouldn’t be an expiation for December’s sins. Maybe it should be…fun. No, really. Why should health = torture? Why should fitness = boredom? Isn’t yoga on a paddleboard at Discovery Green as good for you as a treadmill? Of course it is. Ditto trampoline dodgeball and adventure racing. Ditto 5Ks that end in happy hours. We think.

Anyway, this year we’ve set about the task of tracking down the coolest activities from Conroe to Clear Lake, thrown in a little fashion, some state-of-the-art fitness gadgets, even provided a pumped-up playlist to give your workout a whole new soundtrack. Who knows if it’ll work, but you can’t say we didn’t try.