I agree that it is extremely beneficial. Though my cycling is only done to and from work. I've thought about getting a cycling machine with a reading/laptop platform for indoor use, but it's hard to identify what I'm actually looking for since they're a bit different from bikes and I've never used one.
I hook it up to a bike computer (Garmin Edge 520) and an app called TrainerRoad (https://www.trainerroad.com/platforms). It's a bit of an investment, but I find that having numbers/instrumentation makes things exciting especially when tracking your progress.
My bike and my bike trainer are in my top ten best purchases ever in terms of the value they've given (increased energy, increased fitness).