In the German factories there are hundreds of bicycles in front of the shops, and it is amazing how trim everyone is. The women are very attractive and appear well adjusted.
The only people that drove were the directors of the companies and they were built like Americans. Affluence increases lifespan but it may be due to safer neighborhoods and better healthcare.
We don’t want the Red Chinese standard of living (where everyone rides a bike to work); I don’t have the answer, but taking our cars won’t help.
A friend described a similar scenario in CA (near Sacramento); because the weather was so nice for so much of the year, people did a lot of things outdoors and even old people were active & healthy. Here in the NYC metro area, weather will never cooperate...