Leah Johnson is not your typical gymnast.

The junior may be an average college student, with a love for shoe shopping, dancing and hanging out with friends. However, when it comes to comfort food, Johnson knows how to push her coach’s buttons.

One of Johnson’s favorite DeKalb activities is eating at local restaurants with her friends. One may think it’d be hard to try new restaurants a lot and stay in shape for gymnastics, but this NCAA all-arounder finds a way to balance junk food with a hard work ethic.

The Northern Star caught up with the Coca-Cola-crazed gymnast to talk about which food chain catches her eye and how it is her fault that soda is banned from the team’s road trips.

Northern Star: So here’s a question I am dying to know: Gymnastics is a sport where it is essential to stay in shape, but do you ever break the rules and stop by a fast food restaurant with some friends?

Leah Johnson: Definitely. You can ask anyone on the team, or even my coaches. I always go and get McDonald’s or Burger King before practice. I know it is so bad for me, but I do it anyway.

NS: Does the team or your coaches ever tease you about eating junk food?

LJ: All the time. After I eat junk food, I will be at practice and they will say “How’s that burger feeling now?” They tease me, but it’s all in good fun.

NS: You must have good metabolism to eat out and still maintain your athleticism for competition.

LJ: I know. I don’t know how I do it, I must be lucky when it comes to that.

NS: Where is your favorite place to eat in DeKalb?

LJ: I like Burger King and Chipotle. Oh, my gosh, I go to Burger King after practice all the time to get a Whopper and Coke. I love Coca-Cola more than anything. I don’t drink water, which is so unhealthy for me. I always drink pop, and Coke is my favorite drink ever. I am the reason pop got banned on all road trips, because I drink it so much.

NS: I didn’t know pop was banned on road trips.

LJ: Oh, it’s banned. We are not allowed to get it ever.

It started making my shins hurt freshman year, and Mark, our coach, was like, “All right, no more pop allowed on road trips; this is ridiculous.”

NS: Do the girls on the team ever blame you when they have an urge for pop on the road?

LJ: Well, we all give each other gifts before the meets, and the girls always give me a two-liter of Coke. So when they are like “I need a Coke,” they’re like, “Oh, wait, Leah has a Coke!”