Patriots Cheerleader Emily Marshall Shares Swimsuit Pics From Punta Cana

New England Patriots cheerleader Emily Marshall enjoyed a fun-filled trip to Secrets Cap Cana Resort & Spa in Punta Cana, with fellow cheerleaders Taylor Yeley and Katie Suh. Marshall posted a photo of herself and Yeley posing in blue and teal bikinis, and another snap with Suh posing in a pink flora bikini. "Be casual on 3!!!" Marshall jokingly captioned the post. "Haha I love you," Yeley commented. The dancer is not only an NFL cheerleader, she also has a day job—this is how she does it. 

Marshall says dancing is her favorite thing in the world. "We're called cheerleaders, but pretty much everyone has a dance background," she says. "I love watching football, but my passion for dance is definitely what made me want to join the team. It's just an extra bonus that I get to dance on the NFL field for my hometown team."

Marshall is a financial analyst for TRC Companies. "I started out as a project coordinator in [TRC's] Boston office, and eventually one of the financial-analyst positions for the environmental sector became available, so now I am the analyst for three of our national practices," she says. "Pretty much everyone on the [cheerleading] team either has a full-time job or is a full-time student."

Marshall and her fellow dancers have an intense training regimen. "We practice two days a week throughout the summer and it's basically just rapid-fire learning material, so that [during football season] we don't have to spend too much time actually learning dances," she says. "The season really starts in mid-August or so with the pre-season games, and that is craziness… We pretty much have games every other week, throughout the beginning of September through the end of December, which maybe doesn't sound very hectic, but it felt very hectic, because the second you're done with one, you're preparing for the next."

Marshall loves cooking at home, especially baking pumpkin oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies. "If you try to eat heart healthy, then pumpkin is for you!" says Kaela Ketcham, RD, LDN. "Heart-healthy eating consists of choosing foods that are low in fat, salt and sugar, but high in fiber. You can check off the box on all those when it comes to pumpkin. Per half-cup serving, canned pumpkin has almost no fat, practically no salt and no added sugar. Say goodbye to guilt and hello to flavorful nutrition that is full of fiber."

Marshall is obsessed with her cute pups. Research shows pet owners enjoy specific benefits related to bonding with and caring for animals. "There is now a large amount of data confirming that pets are good for your psychological health and may increase, not only the quality of your life, but also your longevity," says Stanley Coren PhD., DSc, FRSC. "The benefits are not just short term but last well beyond the time that the pet is in the room, and the positive effects build up over time."