She may only play a supporting role in the Twilight franchise, but Ashley Greene has become one of the most lusted after members of the cast thanks to her perfectly toned body. 

So what is the secret behind the 24-year-old's sizzling figure? Here Ashley's trainer Risa Sheppard tells Starlounge how the actress has reshaped her entire body with the help of Pilates. 

Ashley, who plays vampire Alice in the hugely-popular series, began working with Risa intensively two years ago and the Pilates instructor says she began to notice changes very quickly. 

"Ashley’s body is strong and flexible now." says Risa. "My method is an overall conditioning workout that encourages clients to work with their bodies and to realise their own personal perfection. It combines Pilates, therapeutic exercise, and body awareness. 

"Ashley was very eager to learn how to use her body correctly so as to not have injury as well as to keep her body in tip top shape." 

"Joseph Pilates says you feel good after 10 sessions, look good after 20 and have a new body after 30. With Ashley, I would say things started to change after 10 sessions only." 

The movement and body conditioning program, which Ashley combines with daily gym workouts in Los Angeles, include a series of mat exercises followed by sessions on the reformer (a special Pilates machine). 

"We do a hands on stretch, followed by light reformer work to warm up the body. Then we work on the abdominals and lower back fully. " 

The regime has helped to strengthen Ashley's posture and particularly her back. 

"She came to us complaining of low back pain, and we helped that by strengthening her abdominals and back and posture," adds Risa. 

While filming on location, Ashley keeps in touch with her trainer though email and also works out to her DVD 'The Sheppard Method of Pilates' in her spare time. 

And it seems it's not only her body that has benefited from the sessions, Risa stresses that Ashley's has become a lot more confident in front of the camera as a result. 

'In my sessions I take out the robot and replace that with the real personality,’ she explains. 

"It's great for actresses like Ashley to come to me because they begin to feel stronger as women, and in their art. 

"I teach all my clients to be who they are, feel at their optimum and to find their core strength. Ashley will go far because of this, and she’ll be, and is already a great role model for other women.’ 

Risa’s Top Five Diet Tips 

1) Be sensible. Everybody knows that an apple is an apple and that an apple is better for the body than candy 
2) Cut down on calories and build up the exercise 
3) Overcome any negative feelings and have positive thoughts 
4) Ask yourself what is triggering the need to eat chocolate at 10 pm at night and then find ways of how you can find different things to do at that moment to distract you. 
5) Think about your/any bad eating habits, change them and put good foods in.