While this has brought benefits such as lower commuting costs and better work-life balance, it has also changed daily activity levels.
As a result, more people are now investing in home gym equipment to stay active and improve their health without leaving the house.
Working From Home Has Become the New Normal
Before the pandemic, working from home was far less common. However, lockdowns forced businesses to adapt quickly, and many workers discovered they preferred remote or hybrid working.
According to the UK Office for National Statistics, around 28% of working adults are working hybridly, while many others worked fully from home for at least part of the week. This shift has had a major impact on daily routines.
For many office workers, commuting once included a surprising amount of exercise. Walking to the station, climbing stairs, changing trains, walking to the office, and moving between meetings all added extra steps during the day. Without realising it, people were often staying active simply through everyday movement.
Now, many remote workers wake up and move only a short distance from the bedroom to a desk or kitchen table. Meetings that once required walking across an office are now handled through video calls.
Fewer Daily Steps Are Affecting Health
Health experts have raised concerns that remote working may reduce physical activity. A study published by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that home working during and after Covid-19 led to lower daily step counts and more sedentary behaviour for many adults.
This can have long-term effects on both physical and mental health. Sitting for long periods has been linked to weight gain, back pain, poor posture, and reduced fitness levels.
Research from Stanford University also found that the average commuter walked around 20 minutes each working day before the rise of home working. Over the course of a week, that could equal hundreds of calories burned through simple movement alone.
As people became more aware of these changes, many started looking for ways to exercise more regularly at home.
Growth in Home Gym Equipment
The demand for home gym equipment increased sharply during the pandemic and has continued to grow. Treadmills, exercise bikes, rowing machines, weights, and resistance bands became popular purchases as gyms closed and people searched for convenient ways to stay fit.
The global home fitness equipment market was valued at more than £8 billion in recent years and is expected to continue growing as remote working remains common. In the UK, online searches for home gym products rose significantly after 2020 and have stayed higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Many people now prefer the convenience of exercising at home. Without the need to travel to a gym, workouts can fit more easily around work schedules and family life.
Spare bedrooms, garages, and garden rooms are increasingly being turned into workout spaces. Even small flats can often fit compact fitness equipment such as foldable treadmills, gym exercise bikes or adjustable dumbbells.
Increasingly popular are multi-home gyms that allow for different exercises in one machine and make a good use of space, including the gym box from Fittle Fit, BodyCraft and York Perform.
Video Calls and Screen Time
Another major change linked to remote working is the increase in video meetings. Workers may spend hours each day sitting in front of screens attending online calls.
In traditional office settings, employees would often walk to meeting rooms, speak with colleagues face-to-face, or leave the building during lunch breaks. Remote working can remove much of this natural movement.
This has encouraged many workers to become more intentional about exercise. Some now schedule workouts before work, during lunch breaks, or immediately after finishing for the day.
Fitness companies have responded by creating equipment designed specifically for home use, including quieter machines, compact storage options, and virtual training programmes.
A Long-Term Change in Lifestyle
Remote working appears likely to remain part of modern working life for many industries. While this flexibility has many advantages, it has also highlighted the importance of staying active during the working day.
Home gyms are becoming a practical solution for workers who want to improve fitness, maintain healthy routines, and replace some of the movement lost through reduced commuting and office-based activity.
As working habits continue to change, the demand for home fitness equipment is expected to remain strong for years to come.