With autumn in full swing, many of us who dread the cold and dreary weather find exercising more difficult. Plunging temperatures and cloudy skies make the outdoors inhospitable to exercises like running and walking, or even fun activities like playing sports. Who wants to bundle up just to get sweaty underneath all of those layers of clothing?

You may think that the gym is the only solution to maintaining your exercise regimen on colder days, but it’s not. When your personal trainer isn’t around to help, think outside the gym. Instead of running on the treadmill or doing a stint on the stair climber, do something that burns calories and increases your productivity: do some chores!

The fall is a great time to get outside and do that yardwork you’ve been putting off.

Start by raking up all of those leaves lying around, suffocating the lawn. Place them in a bag for pickup, or if you’ve got a garden and potted plants, keep them since they make a great mulch that provides nutrients for soil. Burn 236 calories an hour if you’re 130lbs, 281 calories if 155lbs and 345 calories if 190lbs.

After you’ve cleaned up the leaves, follow with some gardening to prepare your yard for the winter and spring. Pull up weeds, plant bulbs of flowers you’d like to bloom in the spring (e.g. lilies), and remove any spent plants that won’t be returning next year. Burn 295 calories if you’re 130lbs, 352 calories if your 155lbs and 431 calories if 190lbs.

Just because the fall is here, it doesn’t mean you can forget about lawn care. You’ll still need to mow the grass, with a manual push mower, of course! That will help build some muscle and strengthen your core. Burn 325 calories if you’re 130lbs, 387 calories if your 155lbs and 474 calories if 190lbs.

And finally, the gutters. Cleaning the gutters will help with rainfall levels that are usually heavier this time of year. This task can be dangerous, so make sure you get someone to help you keep the ladder steady. Burn 207 calories if you’re 130lbs, 246 calories if your 155lbs and 302 calories if 190lbs. Or, you can go apple picking instead, since it’ll burn the same amount of calories if you carry the apples with you.

You’ve been so diligent, exercising and watching what you eat for months. At first, the fat was melting off of you, but for weeks now, you’ve hardly noticed any positive change. In fact, it looks like you’re gaining weight. Why?

Don’t get frustrated and give up. Known as a plateau, it’s a common problem for many people who work out. The only way to overcome a plateau and start seeing positive results again is to change your workout routine (following the advice of your doctor, of course). Here are 3 tips to help keep your workout routine well worth the effort:

Challenge Yourself
The key to any effective workout is about challenging yourself. Think of your current workout as your base, and and build from there. You’ve got to challenge yourself and your physical ability by doing something that will make you exert more effort to get your heart pumping, just like how you did it when you started working out.

Muscle: 3 sets of 12 reps on 50lbs – is that your rule and you’re sticking to it? Hopefully not. Muscle builds, and it will adapt accordingly. As a result, you can’t expect to build your muscle if you’re pumping the same amount of weight all the time. You’ve got to increase the weight  in order to improve that muscle tone you’re working on.

Aerobic: You’ve been taking the same step class from the beginning, 3x a week without fail. You’ve committed every movement to memory and hardly break a sweat anymore. No wonder you’re not seeing any results! Not sweating in the intermediate class? Try the advanced. Not feeling the burn after 20 minutes on the stationary bike? Bump up the speed and go for 30. Jogging around the block too easy? Try some hills.

Try Something New
Doing the same thing over and over again only works the same parts of your body and muscles, over and over again. For example, if you only go on the stationary bike, you usually use your quads, calves, and butt, not to mention the benefits for your cardiovascular system. But how about your inner thighs, upper body, and other areas?

A plateau can be easily overcome by simply ditching what you usually do and trying something different. For your aerobic workout, how about steering clear of that stationary bike and trying the climbing machine instead? You’ll get to work out a variety of areas that have been neglected. Or instead of doing those lunges to work out your butt, do some squats instead. Go swimming instead of jogging, play basketball instead of tennis – get creative!

The 4 Week Rule
Instead of sticking with some old tired routine, follow the 4-week rule. In one 4-week period, do the same set of exercises (with a slight increase in weight or duration if you feel it’s not challenging enough), targeting a certain aspect of your fitness or body. After 4 weeks, change the exercises, increase their intensity dramatically and do something else for another part of your fitness or body. Doing this will help keep your workout fresh, and zero in on the areas you wish to improve.