Looking for New Year’s resolution inspiration? Here’s your Lower Merion guide.

It’s the first week in January, which means the gym is packed and the health food section at the grocery store is more picked over than usual, as many of our friends and neighbors vow to start the new year off on a healthier foot.

Around 3 in 10 Americans made New Year’s resolutions in 2024, according to the Pew Research Center. At the top of the resolutions list were aspirations related to diet and exercise, finances, relationships, and hobbies. The percentage of resolution makers was even higher among young adults (ages 18 to 29), around half of whom committed to dropping, or picking up, a habit when the clock struck Jan. 1.

Here’s how to get started on a New Year’s resolution in Lower Merion. If you haven’t picked a resolution yet, take this as some inspiration to get going.

“Exercise more” is often at the top of New Year’s resolution lists. While a walk around the block or a visit to the gym is a reliable way to get back into the swing of things, fitness studios across the Main Line are offering free trials, from Tai Chi to yoga sculpt.

Get your first class free at Pure Barre in Wayne, a workout studio chain that fuses yoga, Pilates, and ballet to strengthen and tone. Try your hand at Tai Chi at the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. or on Zoom. Your first Tai Chi class is free. BodyX Kitchen & Fitness Studio, a boutique studio in Bryn Mawr with group fitness classes, personal training, and healthy cooking classes, offers a free week of fitness classes to all new participants. If you’re interested in CrossFit, Ardmore’s CrossFit Main Line offers a free trial for new participants. The gym also has locations in Wayne and Plymouth Meeting. And if you want something more personalized, Train and Nourish, a women’s-only personal training studio in Ardmore, offers free consults for new clients.

As economic concerns loom and the “thrifting” boom persists, many shoppers are looking to secondhand and consignment stores for household items, clothing, furniture, and other unique finds.

As John Romani, owner of Sales by Helen, a Philly-based estate sale giant, told The Inquirer early last year, the Main Line abounds with great secondhand shops. Romani recommends Bryn Mawr Hospital Thrift, a top spot for furniture, high-end clothing, art, and collectibles, and Ardmore’s Pennywise Thrift Shop, which has a rotating inventory, low prices, and some luxury brands. Romani also has high praise for thrift stores in Wayne and Berwyn, including the Berwyn Goodwill and Neighborhood League in Wayne.

Romani’s tips? Use your phone to look up items, seek out high quality, and be assertive.

By now, we’re all familiar with the intoxicating pull of the smartphone. Adults and children are spending more time on their phones, a phenomenon that’s been linked to troubling mental and physical health consequences, especially for young people.

The explosion in screen time has prompted a counter-wave of interest in “analog” activities, from knitting and painting to journaling and board games.

The Main Line Art Center in Haverford offers art classes and workshops for adults. Take tapestry weaving or portrait painting, learn to make jewelry, or try your hand at pottery.

Looking for a book club? Ardmore’s Mavey Books has book clubs for adults and teens. The Lower Merion Library System also hosts book clubs across its locations, including in Ardmore, Belmont Hills, and Penn Wynne. Ludington Library has a book club dedicated specifically to LGBTQ+ stories.

The Lower Merion Library System also hosts board game cafés, family puzzle nights, film discussions, and art events (you can see their full calendar here).

After all holiday presents are unwrapped and the last Christmas cookies are eaten, it’s customary to look around and think: “How did I accumulate so much stuff?“ If you’re looking to declutter, nonprofits in and around Lower Merion are accepting gently used clothing, furniture, kitchen tools, and other items.

Our Closet In Your Neighborhood (OCIYN), a program of Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia, accepts casual clothing and shoes for men, women, and children of all sizes. OCIYN is a free mobile program that provides Philly-area residents with food, clothing, and access to services and benefits. Those looking to donate clothes to OCIYN can contact Skylar Fox, program manager, at 267-273-5537 or sfox@jfcsphilly.org.

Cradles to Crayons is a national nonprofit with a Philadelphia-area presence that provides clothing, shoes, books, school supplies, and hygiene items to kids in need. The nonprofit has a small collection site at Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr and a larger site at the Haverford YMCA. Cradles to Crayons accepts new youth socks and underwear, new arts and school supplies, new hygiene items, unopened diapers, pull-ups, and diaper wipes, and new or gently used clothes and shoes in youth and adult sizes. See the full list of collection sites here and donation guidelines here.

This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.