The relationship between exercise and addiction challenges fundamental assumptions about what constitutes harmful versus beneficial behavior, as physical activity provides genuine health benefits, mood enhancement, and stress relief that make it difficult to distinguish between healthy enthusiasm for fitness and pathological compulsion that serves psychological rather than physical needs. Unlike addictions to obviously harmful substances like alcohol or drugs, exercise addiction hides behind the legitimate health benefits of physical activity while creating patterns of compulsive behavior that can cause severe physical injury, social isolation, and psychological distress.