The Tech Reshaping Our Well-being: Gamification, Nudges & Personalized Health (Part 1)

Source: RDNE Stock Project via pexels.com

How is technology subtly, yet powerfully, reshaping our everyday health behaviors? In Part 1 of this episode, we welcome Zikea McCurdie, Wellness Director at Wellness360 and an expert in behavioral health. We dive into the burgeoning world where technology meets behavioral science, transforming our approaches to food, fitness, and overall well-being. Zikea reveals the rise of corporate wellness platforms leveraging "gamification" and subtle "nudges" to inspire lasting habits, from earning points for drinking water to getting a day off for hitting health goals. The conversation also explores cutting-edge innovations like augmented reality grocery shopping and predictive health apps that offer personalized insights from wearables and even advanced AI-powered devices, hinting at a future where managing our health is more integrated and intuitive than ever before. Tune in to discover the exciting tools already at play, and stay tuned for Part 2, where we delve even deeper!

Connect with Zikea McCurdie:

Instagram: @commonhealth.co

Website: commonhealth.co 

Selected Links:

• "Twenty squats for a free bus ticket." TrendWatching, 12 Nov. 2013, www.trendwatching.com/innovation-of-the-day/twenty-squats-for-a-free-bus-ticket.

• "The Gamification of Fitness: From Leaderboards to Enchanted Forests." AthleTech News, 21 Aug. 2023, athletechnews.com/the-gamification-of-fitness-from-leaderboards-to-enchanted-forests/.

• Chen, Y., et al. "Gamification in health promotion: a systematic review and meta-analysis." Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, vol. 27, no. 5, 2023, pp. 1109-1123. SpringerLink, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10055-023-00792-1.

• "ZOE." ZOE, zoe.com/en-us.

• Haelle, Tara. "10 Best Food Tracker Apps for Logging Your Meals in 2025." Good Housekeeping, 19 Dec. 2024, www.goodhousekeeping.com/health-products/g28245675/best-food-tracking-apps/.

Episode Transcript:

Raakhee: (00:00)

Hello and welcome to Signal Shift with me, Raakhee, and our lovely guest today, Zikea McCurdie. Welcome, Zikea.

Zikea: (00:08)

Hello everyone, thank you for having me, Raakhee.

Raakhee: (00:11)

Absolute pleasure. Zikea is a wellness director at Wellness360, where she creates and oversees wellness programs that inspire lasting change and prioritize inclusivity. She's a national board certified health and wellness coach. She's worked for organizations like Avidon Health and popular Noom as a health coach. She has also applied behavior science principles to support the design of products for companies like Happify.

Zikea has her master's in integrative medicine, and she's a certified yoga instructor. Now, Zikea and I connected when she generously contributed to a book that I'm very close to publishing. And the book explores many facets of our relationship with food and the impacts that psychology, neuroscience, and behavior science have on this domain.

So Zikea and I have had the chance to explore aspects of behavior change when it comes to health. But today we are going to focus on the tech and the tools in the behavioral health space. Basically how technology coupled with behavioral science will impact, shape and shift our behaviors when it comes to food, fitness and health. So great to have you Zikea and I'm very excited to get into this topic today.

Zikea: (01:26)

Yeah, thank you again for having me. I too am super excited to get into this topic. I feel like from a younger age, I realized that technology could be used in a multitude of ways that we weren't touching on then. And I'm so excited to see the developments that have happened in the past two, three, five years from the point where I got started back in what, like 2018. So yeah, I'm like super excited to share all of that.

I'm the wellness director for Wellness360. And Wellness360 is pretty much this corporate wellness platform where we have a number of clients who are different organizations, companies, things of that sort. And we provide almost like wellness programming directly to their employees. Now, I...

I'm seeing that there is a rise in companies just like ours. There's a rise in that corporate wellness space. So we've always kind of heard of on-site yoga classes or on-site meditation. I used to work for a hospital system in corporate wellness. We used to have puppies come on-site and things like that. I know, it was absolutely adorable. But what has happened since then, since we've switched to this complete remote environment,

There's like a new set of challenges that we're seeing now. So you can't bring puppies to everybody's house if you have like employees that work across the country. So that's what's raising the importance for apps like this. And what I am seeing is that, you know, it's that instant program delivery. accessibleness. So everybody can have it from people who live in a city like myself in Baltimore.

To people who live in more rural areas who might not be able to get to those resources. And there's also this introduction of like gamification into it too. And what I think is so cool is that people don't even realize that they're taking part in like gamification, but it's starting to pop up in like our everyday lives. And it's so cool being able to kind of design those interactions for people and try to make it as inconspicuous as possible. So I have my users who are like, my gosh, I'm gonna get all these points and I'm gonna be the top of this challenge.

But it's like, you're pushing to just win this challenge, but you don't realize that you're also building this habit in the long run too. And so I think that's such a like cool kind of like tool that's been being used in behavior science tech, gamification, nudges, things of that sort. But there's like such a expansive world beyond that too.

Raakhee: (04:14)

Hmm, yeah. I guess that's, and I think for everyone listening, right, because we are all so intrigued by this world, but we don't understand how it works. Like, like we get that, you know, it's been used, but how does it work? And like walk us through something really cool that you've seen or, know, and how it works and maybe the journey even somebody can have with that, ⁓ with that tool and the gamification in it.

Zikea: (04:40)

Yeah, of course. So with Wellness360, one of our things, what I like to say is one of our biggest selling points is our incentive and rewards campaign. Because a lot of the time when we think about behavior change, people will say like a carrot and a stick. The carrot is that reward you want, the stick is the reminder like, hey, if you don't do this, like chronic conditions can happen. So what we see in day-to-day life typically is the stick approach where it's like, hey, smoking causes lung cancer or living a sedentary lifestyle can lead to heart disease, things of that sort. And that can work for some people, you know, some people that fear tactic works. But with gamification, we're using that caring. So it's taking every action that you take and giving you a reward for it. So on Wellness 360, we have habit trackers. So let's say I am tracking my habit of drinking water.

Have you had two glasses of water today? I can say, yes, I get five points for that. I can set a goal for if I reach 10k steps every day, I maybe get 10 points for that, five points for that. And those small things, that's what gamification is. It's kind of giving you that reward, those points, those kudos for reaching that point. So think of it almost like, a video game. You know, as you're going through a video game, you're getting through the different levels, you're earning these different points. That's exactly what it is, except it's what things you're doing on a day to day basis. Now, what makes it really appealing for people and what really ends up being the selling point for these corporate wellness programs are the company saying, okay, hey, if you reach 500 points, I have one client who offers like a day off.

You mean all I gotta do is watch this video, take a walk, do these things? No problem at all. So that right there is like the era of gamification. And then nudges to kind of add to that would be those little reminders that you get to say like, hey, remember if you do this, you'll do, you get this. So it can be reminders from, remember if you drink water today, it can help you feel energized and sending that reminder at a specific time.

I'll get into that too. That's called like just in time interventions, but that's a different story. Two different nudges like, Hey, remember you're in this challenge. And if you complete this challenge by May 31st, you'll get an extra 200 points. Here's what you can redeem it on. So like taking those small things and making them seem and giving yourself like a reward for them. That's gamification. And while it does happen a lot in behavior science tech,

And like on our platform, that's how we do it. You can kind of build that for yourself in a way too. So I had an app on my phone. My gosh, I can't remember the name off the top of my head. I'll get it for you. But there was an app that I had where if I spent 30 minutes working out, it was connected to my Apple health kit and it would put money in a savings account for me. So I'm building my savings goal that I'm like rewarding myself as I'm working out. that's kind of been the basis for these larger developments now that we're starting to see in the behavior tech world.

Raakhee: (07:58)

And it's so subtle, right? It's in our environment, but it's so subtle, which I love about it. And really cool to hear that almost some of the waves of change that are happening in just general corporate wellness are kind of merging with this, for example, that day off, you know, and the recognition of that's what people value and giving them more time and, you know, and true wellness.

And so it's really cool to see all these things kind of coming together at this point in time. It reminds me of, and this is a big one on social media, so I think everyone might have seen this one, but not back, I'd seen a video or a clip of, I don't know which country, it was a European country, but it was basically like a, really a ticketing machine for bus tickets.

Zikea: (08:35)

hmmm

Raakhee: (08:46)

But if you did a certain amount of squats on like the mat in front of it, there was obviously synced, you know, if you did like, I don't know, 20 squats, 50 squats, I can't remember, it's probably 50 squats. If you did 50 squats, you would get your bus ticket for free, something like that. You know, it was literally a form of payment, right? And to see that at like a city level or a town level even happening, you know, like this move of personal into corporate wellness and then

I think it'll be so interesting to see how towns and cities tie things like gamification into wellness for all of us as well. So I love what you're saying about it becoming broader and wider even.

Zikea: (09:24)

Yeah, like I have realized that before this was something that was very kind of niche. It was either for a specific app or in corporate wellness. But as you said, we're starting to see it in a lot of different spaces. So there's even an app that you can download on your phone where you have to do like a certain number of pushups before you can open a social media app or you can choose what apps you want to lock. So, you know, we're kind of getting that kind of push towards health in a lot of different ways.

But now we're also starting to see some health organizations. So we're talking about the Kaisers, the big brands. I say Kaiser because I have a personal experience with that. Starting to incorporate a lot of this information to also push those kind of, I don't want to say gamifying, but more so nudges and more just-in-time type of interventions.

And it's getting a lot more tailored because we're able to use like our fitness devices and tracking and apps and things of this sort. So for example, so I do have like Kaiser Permanente and I had strep throat last week. It was the absolute worst, but because of technology, I was able to call a doctor, tell them what was going on, get labs ordered, delivered, and medicine in a two hour timeframe.

So we're also seeing tech being able to shorten a lot of the time we're spending in medical institutions and waiting around in health systems. And then we're also seeing it be a lot more like personalized medicine. So because I also had all my information in there from when was the last time I saw the physician, what other prescriptions I might've had. It's also saving so much time and mental energy for me too. So the doctor knew exactly how to treat me specifically. And I think that's probably my favorite part of where behavior science tech is going is being able to now take, like we know they're, I hate to say they, but you know, they are tracking so many different things that we're doing, but it's now being able to be used in ways that can like shift our lives for the better moving forward.

It's just so interesting to see these different things popping up from the bus stop to there's even like AR grocery shopping where you can have like alternate reality glasses. And as you're walking through places, so think of like Google lens and stuff like that, you can start to see like, hey, these are, will be good choices. These would be bad choices. Like technology is getting that defined now where it's even getting easier for us to choose what we want.

Raakhee: (12:10)

Wow. how, like, Zikea, is that when you're actually, like, physically shopping in the store, you put on the lenses and they kind of give you a breakdown of, the products. That's amazing.

I love that because, you know, whenever somebody is diagnosed with something or they have even an allergy come up or something, you know, it's always OK, you've got to go make these dietary changes and you get that message. But then you kind of really left on your own. Right. And if you do get help, that's great. But even that, you got to figure it all out on your own. There's very little from the doctor to kind of incorporating the treatment. You know, it's there's not a full integrated system that we have yet for that. Right. And so something like that is so amazing for someone like I think about, like a lot of the older folk in our lives who they get very overwhelmed when we try to educate them about nutrition. And they're like, oh, that's too much. But I could feel like, OK, well, I'm just going to put this on you. Just relax. I'm here with you. It's going to say what's good or bad. Let's test it. You know, sometimes we think.

Older folk may not be open to tech, but I think it makes their life simple like that and you make it fun. can really support them, right? And alleviate the decision-making burden, really, they would have to carry to choose those things. So I love, love that. So cool.

Zikea: (13:22)

Yeah, it's so interesting. actually just read a paper about using technology with older crowds, and it was specifically for chronic condition management. And this was through like wearable trackers and things of that sort. So think of like your Apple Watch, your Fitbit. And based off of certain information that was being pulled from that user, so metabolic data, things of that sort, blood glucose tracking.

They were able to provide them with specific insight to say, hey, you had this for breakfast. So your blood glucose is probably going to be around here for lunch, dinner. So here's the options you want to look for. So it's literally getting that specific, where it can push exactly what you need to do. So for example, there is an app called Zoe. I believe that's how you pronounce it. They provide at-home tests for you to take.

And this is looking at like your metabolic health, it's weight management, you're looking at blood glucose, blood pressure, all of those things. You send that information back and then they tell you exactly what foods will work best for you. So now you have that personalized support. So it takes it that next step when the physician says, hey, you need to eat better. Now it's like, what do I eat? You can get that testing now to get that. It's that AR grocery shopping, being able to provide those explanations on demand, being able to review nutrition labels and get an explanation of like what this means on the label because that's one of the questions I would always get as a health coach. And now there's even options where, as I mentioned, there's like forecasting. So for example, One Drop, are, they focus on like diabetes management, chronic condition management.

They have like an algorithm that can forecast your glucose, blood pressure, and weight up to six months out. they can start looking at, right? Like, isn't that crazy? So they can say like, hey, you've been logging XYZ. Here's what we've got about your metabolic data. Here's where you'll be in six months. If you continue on this path, here's where you'll be. If you make these changes, here's where you'll be. And even like January, this is another app.

Where they will show you how a meal will affect your blood sugar in advance. So you're thinking about a meal. Maybe you take a picture. Hey, here's what I'm thinking about eating because they have all of your information already. They can say, hey, here's how it's going to affect you or hey, there's apps that's like, Hey, your stress levels were high today. Make sure you go for a walk instead of snacking play that thing. Like it's so interesting how deep it's getting.

Raakhee: (16:06)

Wow, that is so, and I love the predictive part of it because that's how we control our future outcomes, right? It's preventative medicine really in the most, in the coolest way. So I love that. And I guess my question is like, and I've seen this, right? It's like this apps where you can just take a photo of your food. I think there's an AI app, right? Where you can take a photo of your food and it's gonna tell you, break it down for you. And I'm like, just from a photo, which I still cannot get behind the mechanism of how that works. But you know, I mean, it's there. And I'm sure we're to see even better technology. How do you think, and this is a funny one, right? And I'm kind of mirroring it to this one, but with Time had on, it's kind of best inventions list, this AI powered toilet seat, okay. And I know we always hate taking the conversation kind of there, but the point was that, you know, it would analyze, you know, your stool.

And that's important feedback, right? And it's doing it automatically. You're just doing your thing and it's doing it automatically. And for this very strange link that I'm making to the two, but I guess what I'm saying is, when we get to the point where, and know, cause I'm like, a lot of people just won't make the effort to take the picture of the food or do that. There's that little bit of barrier, but you are making the meal. You are kind of putting that, I mean, maybe it's your stove top or your kitchen counter. I don't know if it's going to have, you know what mean, the camera somewhere. The snap, right? So you're not doing it. And then I think it's like, wow, you know, that'll really, but yeah, I what do you, what do you think about that?

Zikea: (17:36)

Yeah.

You know, it's so interesting because I do feel like we're like slowly moving to like that type of space. So like there's scales right now that you can put your food on and weigh it and it'll give you your macros. It'll give you how many carbs, all of that right now. And that'll log into your phone. So I think we're starting to see like the first steps towards it. I think where it's really gonna tie in is like the glasses. So those Google lenses.

We start to shift more to like this VR, AR type of thing. That's where we're really gonna start seeing that come in a lot more. Because I think that's what's gonna make it a lot easier for people. So imagine you just have your glasses on and you're just over the stove, you just click and then it can tell you, hey, here's everything that you have. That's where I can see it starting to go. But as you said, I think the biggest barrier right now is getting people to use the tech in order to get the insight.

I think there's just a huge kind of, there's a little bit of apprehension when it comes to technology, because at the same time, you do have to give it a lot of information for it to be able to predict things about you. And I know people can be a little iffy about sharing that much insight about themselves and putting it on the internet. But so I would say something for the organizations and these companies to do is start to make sure that they're ensuring like, hey,

People have to know their health data is safe because these tools are impeccable. They can legitimately change lives, but it won't happen until like that trust is built because it can feel a little invasive. But I do think it's getting there. The toilet thing is so cool. I personally think it's cool. I would personally love to try it and just to see like, what do you want to tell me? Like, what is, what can you possibly see in this?

Um, but I am also a person who I will keep my Apple watch on all day. I'm actually looking into getting like a Oura ring so that it's easier for me to like wear just because it's so cool to just see that data and learn more about myself.

Raakhee: (20:01)

A while back we did an episode on data privacy and I spoke about our cars and how much data we actually sign away just by driving the vehicle and doing that. And so sometimes the reality is that our data is being taken in different ways that we don't even realize. But to give it towards something like this, which is your health, is the the place where it does make sense.

You know, so I would definitely also veer towards definitely think about it because the benefits of how the stuff can change your health is pretty, I mean, I've seen it and I've used some of it myself, you know, to change my own habits and behaviors. So it's, it's pretty, it's pretty amazing.

Zikea: (20:41)

It really is, and it's being powered by people who are like also super passionate about this. And I think that's something I would love for, you know, the lay person and everybody to kind of know is that the people who are developing these tools are people who have studied this, people who are building in-depth algorithms. And I know sometimes, you know, algorithms can be a hit or miss, but the only way to make them better is to give them more information.

Which is why it's important for us to start being open to opportunities like this, especially from diverse backgrounds, because then we can make it tailored to specific ethnicities and specific areas that you may live in. Like medicine can truly be personalized when we allow those things to be shared. And there's a possibility for like one thing that I am super interested in when it comes to this whole personalized medicine thing is the concept of digital twins.

Horizon Shift Lab AI: (21:40)

This conversation continues next week. Thanks for listening. See you next week for part two of the conversation with Zikea McCurdie.