At just 21 years of age, Nikki Reed is what one may call riding the wave, being part of one of most successful and popular movie franchises of recent times, “Twilight.” While she’s still young, the actress has now come to place a lot of importance on her health and keeping in top shape, even if she was not always like that, as she reveals in a recent interview with People magazine.

For instance, before meeting her current boyfriend Paris Latsis, the Greek shipping heir and Paris Hilton’s former paramour, Nikki used to pay little to no attention to the kind of food she put on her table as a meal, and even less to the kind and amount of exercise she would get, she now recalls. However, since dating Latsis, things have changed considerably as he made it his purpose to introduce her to all the outdoor activities and sports he loves and without which he cannot live.

“When you date someone who loves the outdoors, it’s inspiring. I’ve learned from my boyfriend. I’ve taken on his lifestyle,” Reed says of the lifestyle change she made shortly after meeting Paris and officially becoming his girlfriend. She even managed to quit smoking thanks to him. “Instead of gaining weight, I lost weight. I started going to the gym and taking care of myself. I’m into outdoor sports like hiking, windsurfing, water-skiing. I’m much more active and much happier,” she explains.

Another thing that has been subject to change in recent months is Reed’s attitude to the way fans react whenever the “Twilight” cast appears on the red carpet, although that has absolutely nothing to do with Paris and the way he influenced her more recent choices. For instance, now, Nikki says, she’s no longer shying away from fans. Moreover, she sees each press meeting or red carpet event as the perfect opportunity to connect with the people for whom she and the rest of the cast are doing this in the first place, the fans.

“Last year, I was like, hyperventilating. I don’t want to say I’ve gotten used to it, but my palms aren’t sweating as much. I love walking up to my fans and saying, ‘Thank you for coming.’ It’s more real,” Reed says. “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” arrives in theaters on November 20.