Banishing PE class baggage with spin cycling sessions

There's something oddly satisfying about finding joy in activities I used to hate.

- Lianne Chia

The darkness of the room is punctuated with flashing lights and pulsing with the thumping beat of loud - some may say deafeningly so - music.

The indoor cycling studio gives off the vibe of a dance club - the last place a self-confessed homebody and introvert like myself would be in on a Saturday morning.

Yet, I feel strangely comfortable when the doors open and I find myself caught up in the familiar routine of finding my assigned spot in the room, setting up my bike and clipping myself in.

For the next 50 minutes of my weekly indoor rhythm cycling class, it's a full-on cardio workout, where I'm fully focused on the cadence of my breath, keeping my legs pumping to the rhythm of each song and my arms moving along to the instructor's cues.

It's by no means easy - which also means I'm forced to block out all other distractions, and the 50 minutes go by in a flash. But as time passes, the joy creeps up on me, lingering long after the class ends, the lights come on and we leave the room.

It comes in the sense of achievement as each song ends and I gulp my water and savour the short break where I can catch my breath. The excitement when the next song is a familiar one I can sing along to (in my head, most of the time!)

And the oddly satisfying feeling of observing the silhouettes of everyone else in the room, all of us moving in time to the music and realising that, hey, not only am I keeping up with the rest of them, but - dare I say this - I'm actually doing pretty well.

It's not a stretch to say that my indoor cycling sessions - also known as spin - are a highlight of my weekend. And sometimes, I can hardly believe that they're a source of so much joy.

They're loud, high-energy, fairly intimidating and a high-intensity cardio workout. In short, they epitomise everything I used to hate.