As someone older. I’ve come to find that it’s part of the cycle. Some days I’m great and feel as good as I did in my teens and other days I get winded walking up a flight of stairs.
The biggest thing now is maintenance. Regular stretching, cardio, and strength training, coupled with better lifestyle choices, less booze, junk food, and smoking. It’s sadly the only thing I’ve found that actually works. I don’t do that stuff enough but when I am disciplined enough to do all that, I usually feel pretty good day to day.
As for the varicose veins, I have some that are super noticeable. Compression socks have been my saving grace there. I wear them pretty much everyday, not so much on the weekends, and every time I travel. You can also get them removed through minor surgical means.
There are a lot of different socks out there, most of them are more like hose than socks. I use Bombas socks because they actually feel like regular socks except they go up to my knees. I use the 15-20mmhg compression in their large size and they work well for me.
Bombas also has a good return policy, I was trying to narrow in on the size and compression level and after the first pair was too big, i asked them if I could swap and they just sent me the smaller size for free. I’m a bigger guy if that helps you find the right size.
They aren’t cheap but they also aren’t crazy expensive. I just asked for socks for Christmas and a birthday or two and ended up with more than enough to get me through a week.