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Scots die younger than anyone else in the UK. For many, work is less active, hobbies more sedentary, lives are more stressful and sleep is harder to come by. While the damage is devastating, it’s never too late to make a change.

In this episode, we meet Ryan – a 30-year-old who loves soft drinks and takeaways – and Marie, a super-active mum of two. Ryan spends up to 15 hours a day sat in front a computer screen, guzzles up to four litres of soft drinks a day, and frequently eats takeaways. Despite being healthy as a teenager, after a couple of years working at his computer desk he put on around four stones. He does little to no physical activity; unlike Marie. A 38-year-old mum of two, Marie is constantly on the go. When she’s not busy dealing with her kids she’s a keen fitness buff, and in between cardio workouts and lifting weights, she runs the kids to school on their buggy. Despite looking great on the outside, Marie’s lifestyle is a bit chaotic, and her sleep is terrible; perhaps not surprising given she regularly drinks over 10 cups of a coffee a day.

Ryan and Marie are confronted with how their lifestyles are having an impact on their health – now and in the future. Ryan’s told he has an estimated 61% risk of becoming diabetic, and Marie’s told that the stress she’s putting on her body are storing up problems for her future. After the shock of receiving the news, each is given a health plan that is tailored to their specific needs; for Ryan, it’s more movement and less sugary drinks – for Marie, it’s less caffeine and a bit of wind-down time.

Any change in lifestyle is tricky, and we follow them as they struggle over weeks.
When Ryan is tempted by sugary drinks, he’s reminded of his fear about becoming one of the UK’s 3.5m diabetics. And Marie gets some advice from a top sleep expert in how she can improve her zzzz’s.

We also meet with experts who give general advice on how to improve health that we can all learn from.
After weeks of ups and downs, Ryan and Marie repeat the tests and are 'Laid Bare' one more time – but have they done enough to turn their health around?