Treatment for disc desiccation? And questions to ask?

50F, 5'6" 150lb. On HRT for perimenopause. I drink moderately (~1-4 beers per week) and have never smoked. No other drugs.

I'm moderately active. Not an "athlete" but I do some kind of weights or cardio 3-4 days in any given week and take an hour walk every day (dog)

I have a herniated disc and the MRI notes that there's desiccation in my lumbar discs. I'd love guidance on how to keep it from getting worse.

I was feeling a lot of tightness in my hamstrings during a week where I was doing a lot of sailing (like scrambling around and capsizing sailing, not sitting back with my cocktail getting a tan sailing) and just "doing more stretching" wasn't really resolving it. About two weeks later it felt worse so I reached out to get a PT referral early one morning and by midday I decided I needed to leave work early to figure out why I was in so much pain. I also had lost a lot of feeling in my butt.

The advice nurse told me to come to the ER because of the loss of sensation.

They ran a bunch of labs, a bladder scan and an MRI. They ruled out a cauda equina. I have some basic PT that I'm doing now, an in person appointment later this week and I am seeing a spine specialist next week.

But the MRI says "DISCS: Disc desiccation and mild height loss at L5-S1 and additional mild disc desiccation from L2-L3 to L4-L5."

I'm curious about what I should be doing to prevent further disc desiccation. My work is at a desk, and it's fully remote. I do have an adjustable desk but I generally work seated. Since the ER visit I've been standing more and taking more breaks to walk the dog but I'm wondering whether I should be on a whole schedule?

If I stand all day, I wind up with fatigue, even if I'm on a rubber mat. My fingers get a little swollen and I can feel the veins in along my shin. I welcome any guidance.