Exercise. People had to physically work a whole lot harder than we do. Local travel was mostly by foot. Heating the house meant hauling & shoveling coal or wood

Exercise. People had to physically work a whole lot harder than we do. Local travel was mostly by foot. Heating the house meant hauling & shoveling coal or wood. Food & clothing was far more labor intensive. Entertainment was far more likely physical; even watching a show meant traveling to the theater. Contrast today, where the thermostat keeps temperatures comfortable automatically, car/bus/taxi takes most people everywhere, prepared food is cheap (heat via microwave), work for the HN crowd is sitting/reading/typing, and entertainment is staring at a glowing wall.