Recently, a patriotic workout routine was introduced to go with this year's National Day theme song, which some might not want to be caught dead doing because it's not exactly K-pop material.

In case you're not sure what we're referring to because it's too embarassing not as entertaining as watching cat videos, here it is:

If you are currently in school and are made to do this workout during your P.E. lessons, think about it this way: It could be much worse because you could've been made to do the Great Singapore Workout.

Scratching your head and wondering what that is?

Well, back in October 1993, the government unleashed launched a national aerobic fitness routine to unsuspecting encourage Singaporeans to lead a healthier lifestyle. Known as the embarrassing Great Singapore Workout, it was part of the month-long National Healthy Lifestyle programme.

And for an entire month, primary and secondary school kids were made to do the workout during P.E. lessons if they were lucky, or anytime during school hours.

Kids were also required to do the entire workout, which included warming up, carrying out the main routine, and cooling down, on All Children Exercising Simultaneously (ACES) Day.

Here are some highlights of the workout routine:

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Perhaps the most dreaded part of the workout was the march:

Back in 1992, about a year before the Great Singapore Workout was launched, the Ministry of Health conducted the first National Health Survey, which found that the diabetes rate had nearly doubled since 1984, and more Singaporeans had picked up smoking.

So, there was a need to get people out of their seat, onto their feet, and get their body moving for exercise.

The workout was not just meant for students, of course. It was meant for all Singaporeans, like:

Taxi drivers

Ordinary folks at home (housewives perhaps?)

Families at home

Office workers

And of course for those uncles at the hawker centre too

Here's how the entire thing was like, and yes we had to do the workout to that very song:

For a more entertaining version, watch this piece instead:

Top image from YouTube.

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