Keola Makaiau may be single, but that doesn't mean he's clueless when it comes to commitment and loyalty.

For nearly 20 years, he has devoted himself to two things.

"I love volleyball," said Makaiau, 43, of 'Aiea. "I'm not, like, super good at it, but you know, I can hold my own."

He loves it so much, in fact, that he plays the game three days a week — nearly four hours each on Mondays and Wednesdays, and a mind-boggling eight hours on Sundays.

His other passion?

Hula, which isn't something he does just for exercise or as a hobby, Makaiau emphasized.

"Hula has actually opened my eyes to my heritage," he said. "I have learned the language, the dance, the history, the chants, and have met so many people that have enlightened me to what being Hawaiian really is."

While he works full time as a front-desk clerk at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider — he's been there for nearly 17 years — he's also a dancer for Robert Cazimero's Halau Na Kamalei and travels extensively throughout the Mainland and Japan for performances.

It's thanks to these two loves that Makaiau stays so fit.

He's come a long way from the "100-pound weakling" of his teen years, he said. "My entire life, I was the kid they would pick on."

Makaiau, who grew up in Sunset Beach, reached a fitness turning point at the age of 28, when he took up canoe paddling. His coaches encouraged him to go to a gym to work with weights.

"My whole fitness thing started because of paddling," he said.

Today, the tanned and toned Makaiau is proud of his physique, and rightfully so.

"I have two older hula brothers who jokingly always tell me that they are going to live long enough to see me get fat," Makaiau said, laughing. "I plan to see to it that they live forever."

Workout habits: Makaiau works with weights at a gym four days a week for 90 minutes each session. He rotates his workouts in three groups: chest and abs; back, shoulders and abs; and biceps, triceps and abs. "I never do legs because hula and volleyball does that enough for me," Makaiau said.

Makaiau practices hula for two hours on Sundays and plays volleyball on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays, for several hours each day. On the days he isn't in the gym, Makaiau runs or plays tennis.

When and why I started working out: "At 28, I started paddling canoe ... and just to keep in shape, my coaches recommended weightlifting, so that's what started me. So I would go (to the gym) because I had to, and I kind of got addicted to it."

My good foods/bad foods: "I actually eat very healthy. I love whole-grain cereal with nonfat milk. I love fruits, but I don't eat them as much as I should. Watermelon is my favorite, but I also like grapes and cherries." As for bad foods, Makaiau has three "weaknesses," he said. He's a sucker for mayonnaise, ice cream and anything chocolate.

My biggest motivator: "Honestly, it's vanity," Makaiau said, laughing. "That's true. I hate to say it, but that's it. Especially being a hula dancer ... (sometimes) you have to dress in just a malo and go on stage, and it's sore to the eyes if you don't look, at least, a little appealing. My first motivation for keeping my body in shape was the 'looking good' part, and then I found out that all these other health benefits come along with it."

What saves my sanity: "Weightlifting does it a lot. I go by myself — me and my iPod. It's my alone time."

My next challenge: This year "I will learn to surf, just because I'm tired of hearing people saying, 'What? You from Sunset Beach and you don't know how to surf?' "

Advice for those in the same boat: "The key is staying active. In my lifestyle, there's no room for sitting down and watching TV. ... I would say just get out of the house."

Reach Zenaida Serrano at zserrano@honoluluadvertiser.com.