Home Healthy Habits Fuel for Kids Potato Facts Nutrition Links Ask Our Experts How do I fuel my children for fitness and fun? Experts encourage children to get at least 30 to 60 minutes of exercise each day.  Daily exercise builds strong bones, develops flexibility, controls weight and decreases the chances of life threatening illnesses such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and osteoarthritis, later in life. Fuelling our children's bodies with complex carbohydrates, or good carbs, is essential for physical activity. Carbohydrates are the body's main energy source, powering everything from jogging to breathing. Our bodies don't turn all blood sugar into energy at the same time. Some gets stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen, which is a storage form of carbohydrate. When glycogen is low, children may feel irritable, tired and lack in concentration.  If glycogen is low during exercise, children will lag behind the others and an exhausted condition commonly referred to as "hitting the wall" may occur.   Potatoes are an excellent source of the complex carbohydrates children need for healthy physical activity.