The way Claudio Nigg sees it, fitness is a lifestyle built on small decisions such as taking the stairs, choosing the first open parking stall no matter how far away it is from the store and, because he’s an associate professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, deciding to stand whenever he lectures.

"Those little decisions can add up to quite a lot of calories, and most of us make a sedentary decision, the path of least resistance," he said. "Work in physical activities wherever you can. Every step counts."

But fitness is also about having fun.

Without fun, exercise becomes a grind that will likely fall by the wayside, said the 43-year-old Nigg, who teaches health behavior changes in the university’s Office of Public Health Studies. Fun is why Nigg plays ice hockey once a week in an adult league and hits the beach every weekend for volleyball in the sand.

"Once you’ve found something you like, you are probably twice as likely to stick with it," he said. "It does enhance your commitment."

Combining these two attitudes is essential to success, in part because most of a person’s daily life is not spent working out.

"Most of my activities are about burning everyday calories," said Nigg, who uses a large inflatable ball as an office chair because it forces him into a better posture.

When Nigg calls his grandmother in Switzerland and he knows it’s going to be a long call, he paces while talking instead of sitting down. He does the same thing during lectures and invites his students to do likewise, but none of them accepts his offer.

Nigg has been involved in promoting healthy behavior changes for 20 years. It’s a natural extension of his personality. He’s been active since he was a boy in Calgary, Alberta, where he started playing hockey at age 11.

Fitness can be a hard sell in the United States, where about 50 percent of the population doesn’t exercise, according to Nigg.

Physical activity has been engineered out of the average American lifestyle. When someone comes home after a hard, stressful day, the remedy is often to plop down in front of the TV, Nigg said. That only increases fatigue.

"If we came home and took a nice half-hour walk around the neighborhood, you will feel a lot better," he said. "Then you have energy to deal with your kids, your family, house chores, whatever. A lot of people who plop down in front of the TV drag through the evening."

That lack of motivation is what inspired the book "Behavioral Aspects of Physical Activity and Exercise," which was edited by Nigg and published last fall by Kluwer Health and the American College of Sports Medicine. The book provides strategies that health and fitness professionals can use to inspire their clients.

"A lot of texts out there are about how to do fitness training, how to get your heart fitter or your muscles strong or become more flexible," Nigg said. "They never look at the behavior change you need."

The book, which can also be used by a layperson, includes goal-setting spreadsheets, action plans and self-monitoring advice, Nigg said. But the key to success starts with that three-letter word: fun.

Surprisingly, it’s a hard concept to embrace.

"A lot of people like activities but rarely do them," Nigg said. "Find your activity that you do because of the activity. That is the first step in enjoying it. And try to incorporate more of that activity. If hiking gives you inner peace, organize other hikes."

Good Fit spotlights inspiring fitness stories of change, self-discovery and challenge, and other fitness-related topics. Tell us what motivates you and how you stay fit and healthy. Email features@staradvertiser.com.